The Pride of a Lion
by Seph4evr
Summary: Three humans find themselves as lions under Ahadi's reign. They must figure out why they are here and maybe find more than they imagined. Rated M for future chapters. Nyota/Taka Nyota/Mufasa
1. A Wish Come True

**Chapter One: A Wish Come True**

_**Hey everyone, trying something different with this fic. Just been reading a lot of stories where Disney gets some fan characters and thought I'd try one myself. I'd love for you to read it and let me know what you think. Please enjoy ^-^**_

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Stella pushed her raven black hair away from her pale blue eyes as she finished the last sentence of her term paper, clicking save to save it to her flash drive before clicking print. As the printer hummed to life and began sliding out her ten page paper she cracked her knuckles and wrists, sighing as the fine and slender bones popped back into place. Her paper was what determined her grade for her last class at the Academy of Art and if she was graduating that spring; it was on a favorite topic of hers, the natural art of nature. She had packed the ten pages full of the elegance of large predators and prey alike and how their existence fed the other. She even used her favorite concept from one of her favorite childhood movies. She picked up the first page and red the title, "The Circle of Life", and justly the first topic she used was the elegant big cats and wild dogs of Africa as the hunted the wildlife who in turn evaded in a dance of life and death. Yet they lived happily enough among each other when they weren't fighting for food. She remembered fondly of the Disney movie The Lion King and how they had taught all the young lions about the circle of life and its importance, it was what inspired her to write this as her last paper, joining herself into the circle of life of the school so to speak.

Once the paper was printed, she slipped the pages into protective sleeves and fastened them in a pocketless folder with the title printed on the cover sleeve, ready for handing in tomorrow. She then picked up a picture of her parents with her at the zoo; they had been standing in front of the lion exhibit. She had always been fascinated by lions, ever since she was a child. She hoped one day to be able to go and photograph them in their natural habitat to catch their full grace in motion rather than just words. Her father was on a photography trip in Africa right now. He had promised to bring her his best samples of lions and other big African cats. He would be flying home day after tomorrow.

Stella stashed the finished paper in her bag and set the picture back on her desk then headed to the bathroom to shower before bed. Tomorrow would be the start of the rest of her life.

Stella shifted in her desk as the papers were collected after the professor informed them of the upcoming San Francisco Art Fair, encouraging his students enthusiastically to participate. Once they were handed in class was dismissed and we were reminded to check our e-mail to see if we passed. Stella eagerly left the room and checked her Blackberry to see her father had sent her an e-mail that he was flying over the Atlantic Ocean now and that thanks to the great weather, instead of arriving tomorrow morning, he would be arriving today and would meet her at her apartment. Covering her mouth with her hand in excitement, she nearly ran down the block to her apartment building and jogged up the flights of stairs to her room that overlooked the city.

It was certainly a concrete jungle but she couldn't wait for her father to pull up and show her the real jungle that she would one day trade her concrete jungle for. She could hardly wait as the hours passed and she finally heard the knock on her door.

She rushed to open the door and threw her arms around her father which he returned with a tight hug.

"Stella, I missed you so much, but Africa was amazing! You'll love it when you go there yourself, but until then…" he pulled out a large envelope and handed to her.

"The pictures?" she squealed. "Thank you so much, Dad!" she carefully pulled the large pictures from the envelope and flipped through them adoringly. "There perfect!" she stopped at a picture of what was similar to a large rock she'd seen before but she couldn't quite place it in her excitement.

"And, a gift I picked up from an elderly peddler. He said it was used by Shaman in some of their rituals. It's of a lioness's and lion's head etched into a yellowish gem. I was able to strike a deal with the gent and get it for a reasonable price. Do you like it?" Stella smiled up at him and nodded.

"Great! I have to show the other samples to my clients then post the rest from the office but I'll be back to enjoy a full evening with my favorite daughter." He hugged her tightly again.

"Ughh, Dad, I'm your only daughter." She giggled.

"Exactly, if I didn't have you I'd just be an old fart with no one to keep me young!" they laughed and he left to take care of the pictures leaving Stella to admire the gem pendant.

She ran her finger over the etched edges and smiled. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be used for by the Shaman and why they had chosen the lions as their symbol instead of the mighty elephant or swift cheetah. She crossed the room to the large window that overlooked the city below and wished she could be there in Africa to see the lions and animals.

"It must be so peaceful over there, no worries for the animals, no jobs. They just live and enjoy nature with each other. I wish I could see their life through their eyes." She sighed, clutching the pendant she had slipped around her neck.

Then, her vision faded in and out, intensifying and clouding in intervals so that she stumbled to her knees. She felt heavy like she was filled with water as well as surrounded by it. She began to panic and struggled to thrash about to reach the surface, to feel lighter again, to return to normality.

_What was happening? A stroke? Was she dying!_

She could no longer feel her body and she could no longer see or hear. She was scared, frightened beyond herself but for her father as well and mother living in Hollywood as an architect, what would they think? What would they find out when her father returned happy for an evening with his daughter to find her ripped from his life forever, and then he would have to explain it to her mother and then the investigation. What would it find out about her death?

She was jarred from that trail of thoughts when she felt her body thud to the ground. She felt her surrounding before she saw them. Soft soil carpeted by springy grass and littered with rounded pebbles. She turned her head to look up at a powder blue sky with fluffy white clouds scattered across its expanse. Groggily she sat up but immediately noticed a difference in her. She wasn't sitting with her legs stretched beneath her but crouched in an inhuman way. Puzzled and still groggy she looked down at herself and tilted her head in confusion. She saw fur! And paws and a tail! She slowly stood up on her new four legs and tested them, slowly putting the pieces together. She was no longer her evenly tanned self with long legs but a real dark grey feline body. She studied herself a little longer and noticed her grey-white belly and grey tail tuft and raised her paw to inspect it. Her head was still pounding so she slowly began to walk, trying to walk it off, after a few steps she got used to putting one paw in front of the other in a way that worked. She shook her head and had to blow fur out of her line of sight when it slid forward away from her round ear.

Eventually she saw a stream nearby and realized the water would help clear her head and refresh her body. When she lowered her mouth to the gurgling water she finally saw her face, a black nose and grey-white chin. Pale, ice blue eyes stared back at her and the fur around her neck and head was thicker and longer than the rest of her body. At least something about her new body was familiar to her.

She lapped up the clear water with her long pink tongue, letting the cold liquid slide down her throat and ease her headache. She sighed contently then looked back down at her reflection. Something still wasn't right. She knew what she was now, that was obvious, but it didn't look real. It couldn't be real. It must be a dream induced by…by… She couldn't figure out how she had come to be in this dream or if it even was. Right now she couldn't comprehend anything, let alone think about it.

She heard a growl of irritation rumble from her chest. Great, now she would always be vocalizing her opinion without actually saying anything.

She scanned the area and decided she had to get somewhere, even though she was a lioness now she shouldn't be out in the open alone and she had to be in someone's territory. It was too lush and thriving to be un-owned. She started walking along the stream. It had to lead somewhere and whoever owned the land would probably live by it although it might not be lions as she remembered they could go a while without water. This made her smile to herself. Her obsessive knowledge of lions for her future photography pilgrimage was already coming in handy.

She walked until the sun was level with her, its dark orange glow bathing the land with a warm glow before it would set. Stella now walked with her head low, picking up on scents now and again that her instinct told her were zebra, giraffe, buffalo, meerkat, hyena, wild dog or warthog. No lion scent yet and she wasn't sure the other animals would just greet her warmly. But their scents made her mouth water with hunger. She had loved meat back in her human body but this was way stronger. But she didn't quite know how to hunt. She'd have to practice tomorrow, now she was too tired to even walk anymore. Of course, her occasional running practices hadn't helped today but at least she had gotten used to it.

She stopped by a shelter of three rocks piled together so that they formed a cave of sorts then lapped up more water before slipping inside her bed for the night. As she looked up at the indigo sky, she saw the stars beginning to appear. It was peaceful here but she was finding it lonely too. Her eyes slowly drooped closed and all she wanted was someone to enjoy this with her.

_**Please review!**_


	2. Who Are You?

**Chapter Two: Who Are You?**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

The dawn light filtered through a crack between two of the rocks of Stella's shelter sending a bright beam straight on her eye. She blinked them open in shock before realizing it was morning. She needed to find another lion today and figure out why she was a lion in the first place!

She padded over to the stream and drank her fill and stretched the soreness out of her body. Her new body was strong and muscular, it had easily adapted to the rigorous traveling she had done the day before. She yawned and shook herself before trotting along the stream as she had done yesterday.

Once she was warmed by the sun and her muscles were used to walking she broke into a run. She loped easily over the hilly terrain, clearing boulders by leaping on top of them then propelling herself into the air. She felt free and powerful. She felt strong and fast. She was a lioness, feared by her prey! Excitement gripped her and a smile broke across her face as she whooped and hollered, pushing herself faster until the trees and rocks blurred to smudge forms of themselves on the canvas of the land. She was exhilarated and didn't want to have to stop, but a growl brought her to a halt. It wasn't an angry opponent but her own stomach, she was hungry and now was as good a time as any to practice hunting.

She scanned the area and spotted a herd of antelope in the distance amongst the tall grass. The sight made saliva pool in her mouth. She swallowed and trotted into the nearest patch of tall grass, slowing into a stalking crouch as she neared the grazing herd. Their scent filled her nostrils and her lungs, beckoning her forward. Once she was near enough to see the ridges of their horns she paused. She shifted her paws, digging her eager claws into the soft soil and twitched her tail that was straight behind her and out of sight below the sea of grass. Her pale icy eyes spotted the nearest antelope, it was one leap away.

She carefully shifted her body to face her prey before inching closer. Then she propelled herself into the air above the startled beasts with all her strength at the antelope. It made a startled noise and hurried to scamper away but Stella was already on its back, her claws latching into its sand colored pelt, then her teeth were crushing its neck tensed in fear. Warm, coppery blood filled her mouth and flowed down its neck and chest. She saw its head twist and its brown eyes dull as the body buckled beneath her weight.

The rest of the herd had bounded away from the threat, they would mourn their fallen comrade later once they reached safety. Meanwhile, Stella ripped into her meal, blood covering her muzzle and fresh meat filled her belly.

Once she'd finished she licked herself clean of the animals red life blood and stretched. She wanted to lay in some shade but knew she must be getting close to a lion's home. She had to be getting somewhere, unless she was going farther away. There was honestly no way to tell which direction she should be going. She sighed and continued the way she had been going, pelting along the stream once more. She had to be going the right way, she had to.

Stella had slowed to a walk when the sun had reached its full height in the sky. She was tired of not seeing anyone. Finally she stopped to rest under a large tree in the shade and flopped down on her side.

She missed her father and wondered what was going on back home. Had he come back to her apartment to find her gone? Had he been disappointed and thought she had gone off to do something without letting him know? Would he suspect something horrible had happened to her?

She felt tears beginning to sting the back of her eyes at her feeling of loss. Then she heard a rustle. She shot up into a laying position with her paws ready to leap up in a fight or flight situation. Perking her ears she strained to hear the noise again but only heard the wind through the leaves above her and the constant gurgle of the stream. Now she was hearing things. She plopped her head between her paws with a depressed look on her face.

Then she heard another noise, breathing.

She shot up to her paws and quickly scanned the area.

"Who's out there? I can hear you, you know! Show yourself!" she shouted, baring her teeth in a snarl.

Then laughter erupted from the tall grass and a young male lion emerged. He was completely white with bright golden eyes. "Brother! I think we have an intruder on our hands, what do you think?" his eyes darkened in a threatening manner while his mouth curled in a smirk.

Another lion about the same build but with a narrower jaw leapt from the tall grass a few yards away. He was completely black with garnet red eyes, his face was more placid but Stella could still detect the same hostility.

"I mean you no harm, I'm just passing through…"

"So you don't belong to a pride?" the black one murmured, running his fiery eyes along her figure. "Maybe you could join ours."

"You're a pride? Don't you need lionesses for that?" she shot back. Growling at him as they both circled her.

His brother laughed. "Where are you from, little kitty? Are you lost?"

They were taunting her. She had to get the upper hand or this could end ugly for her. "I'm not from around here at all…I came from far away and don't know how I got here." She was surprised at how lost she really was. She had never been to Africa physically, only in her mind and in books and pictures.

The white one stopped in front of her and studied her face, his malicious look replaced by…was that understanding? "What's your name?"

Stella softened. "Stella."

He nodded. "You aren't a natural lion are you? That's a human name."

She was shocked that he knew that. "Yes…how did you know?"

"Because my brother and I were human too, we woke up one day like this here, not knowing how it happened. My lion name is Winju and my brother's is Kivuli. You should have a new lion name too, so you don't stand out as much." the white lion said.

Stella thought hard for a moment for a name that would fit her. She raked her brain for a Swahili name as she recognized these lion's own name as words in Swahili, then she remembered her human name meant star in Latin so she should still mean star in her lion name. "Nyota," she said suddenly. The name had just popped into her head, probably the lion in her. "That is my new name."

Kivuli sat beside his brother and smiled at her, not an evil grin but a friendly one. "Star, the name suits you. Your eyes shine like the cold blue stars from across the galaxy. Where were you headed anyway?"

Nyota was caught off guard at the complement on her eyes and stammered, "I didn't really know, I was just going and I was following the stream because a lion would need to be near water but all I came across was other animal scents and a herd of antelope a while back. What have you two been doing? Have you found anyone else while you were here? How long have you been lions?"

Winju chuckled. "One question at a time, and we've just been by ourselves for the two months we've been here. We didn't really know why we came here. We just remember wishing we were lions when our little cousin was watching The Lion King one night before bed. Remember Kivuli? We wanted to be twin kings of our own pride."

"You're twins?" they both nodded. "Then why do you look so different? Like completely different!"

"Because," Kivuli stated, "twins, while sharing the same DNA, are their own person." This made Nyota blush in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah, I just thought you'd at least look more alike than complete opposites is all." She looked around before asking the brothers, "Would you like to come with me to find the nearest pride? Maybe we could stay with them until we figure out how to get back home or at least figure out why we look this way."

Kivuli stood up. "We look like this because we are in the movie at some point although we haven't figured out what time frame. We haven't dared ventured out to see whose land we're on or if the Pridelands are even around here. But maybe we should start Winju, with Nyota we aren't at much of a disadvantage if we travel quickly and carefully."

His brother nodded and they set off along the stream. Nyota was reenergized with the prospect of finding the Pridelands. It'd been forever since she'd seen the movie and the thought of meeting young Simba made her giddy. And with her new friends she felt invincible.

They came across a large river and studied the landscape. It had become slightly barren and crocodiles could be seen in the distance sun bathing on the muddy banks. It was all familiar to Nyota in some way that nagged at the back of her mind.

"Doesn't this look familiar to you guys?"

Winju nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, it's the Wastelands that Scar's pride is exiled to…but it's empty."

"So Simba must still be young, right?" Kivuli asked.

Nyota nodded. "Maybe, but we don't know for sure… Let's find Pride Rock, we'll know for sure then."

Winju took the lead as they crossed into the Pridelands and bounded across the lush plains. It wasn't long before they came in sight of the giant, split rock formation.

"There it is!" Nyota shouted happily. She ran faster. "Come on guys, we made it!"

She didn't have to tell the brothers twice, they ran along behind her, they weren't as fast as a lioness. Then there was a growl as three beige lionesses surrounded them, forcing them to a stop. They were all alike except one had orange eyes instead of brown, and they were all snarling, ready to attack.

Winju stepped in front of Nyota, shielding her from Orange Eyes. "We come in peace, we seek refuge with your pride."

Orange Eyes sniffed the air around them. "Your names." She commanded.

"I am Winju, my brother Kivuli and our friend Nyota. We are not from around here."

"I am Maji of Ahadi's pride. You are in his Pridelands."

Nyota smiled. "Ahadi is the father of Taka and Mufasa. We're before the movie even starts!" Maji looked at her with a quizzical face.

"Movie? How do you know of the young princes and not of whose land you're on?" Maji questioned, looking harshly at the three strange lions.

Kivuli quickly came to her defense. "We knew not that we were on his land but Ahadi's fame has traveled far as well as information on his queen, Uru and his sons."

"We would like to speak to him if you wouldn't mind, Maji. We've been traveling for a while." The burly lioness nodded and led them towards Pride Rock.

When they reached the massive rock formation they grinned at each other in excitement. They were living their childhood dream! Then their attention was brought back to the rock as they saw a dusky gold lion with a thick black mane and bright green eyes looking down at them with what appeared to be a permanent frown on his face. Beside him stood a brown lioness with a white spot on her head and golden eyes. Ahadi and Uru.

Maji stopped before her king and queen and bowed. "We found these three by the Wastelands, they claim to know of you and seek council with you, King Ahadi."

The large lion nodded and motioned for the three to follow him down the other side of Pride Rock while Uru stayed back to converse with Maji and the other lionesses. He led them to the waterhole and sat on a flat rock. Kivuli, Nyota and Winju sat nervously before him by the bank of the waterhole.

"What are your names? And what do you wish to talk to me about?" Ahadi asked in a calm demeanor.

Nyota answered. "We want to become part of your pride. I am Nyota and these are Winju and Kivuli. We have come from far away but we don't remember where we came from."

"You are family?"

Winju answered, "Kivuli is my brother, we met Nyota today when she caught up to us along the stream. We decided to find your pride together."

He nodded. "You may stay. I was new to these lands myself when I was your age. Uru's father Mohatu welcomed me then as I will welcome you now. May you find peace as a part of our family. But I warn you, show any sign of betraying my pride or disobeying our law of nature and you will be exiled." He growled.

Nyota, Winju and Kivuli nodded vigorously and smiled. The king nodded and returned to Pride Rock to inform the other lions, leaving the group to finally relax and celebrate their progress.

"Nyota," Kivuli asked. "how will becoming a part of his pride help us figure out our problem?"

"We must be here for a reason, and who better to ask than Rafiki? Obviously we have a purpose and he knows of everything that happens in Africa. As soon as we find him, we can ask him."

_**Please review!**_


	3. Finding a Friend

**Chapter Three: Finding a Friend**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Nyota stretched out under the shadow of Pride Rock. Her icy gaze peering at the surrounding land through half-lidded eyes, she scanned over the members of the pride. It was their first day as part of Ahadi's pride and she couldn't help but feel excited. She had never thought such a thing that was happening would be possible.

She heard a loud yawn and looked over her shoulder at the twin mounds of fur behind her, huddled against the sudden chill of the morning. A fuzzy lump rose from the paler mound and the blob stood to reveal Winju. He shook himself until he was fluffy and strode over to the grey lioness.

"Morning Nyota, did you sleep well?"

She smiled up at him and flicked her tail at the dark mound of fur still sleeping behind them. "Not as well as you two apparently. But it is a good morning, our first day in the Pridelands! I'm so excited. I wonder where Rafiki is, we should go find him." She stood and shook herself then started walking down toward the plains.

Winju looked back at his brother who was still unaware of the world. When they had been on their own they had always slept with one eye open. But now they were safe from rouges and exiles. "What about Kivuli? Shouldn't we wait for him to wake up before we go looking?"

Nyota looked back. "No, it's already past dawn. Let him sleep, it's not like we won't know where to find him later. Come on!" they walked down to the waterhole and lapped up the cool water.

"So where should we look first?"

Nyota looked around for a sign of where to start looking and shrugged. "Maybe we should start looking at the large trees, that's where he made his home in the movie."

Winju nodded and they began searching the high branches of the plains trees.

They searched many trees, but didn't find the deranged baboon. They were starting to lose hope when they saw two figures coming toward them from the distance. One was gold and the other was an orange-brown.

At a closer glance, Nyota noticed they were young male lions with small manes. The two were play fighting with each other until they practically stumbled into the unseen lioness.

They instantly sprung up and stared at her. Nyota gasped, they were the young Taka and Mufasa!

"Who are you?" Taka sneered. "I haven't seen you around before."

"I'm new to the pride, my name is Nyota. You must be the charming Prince Taka." She bowed low, looking up to see he was smiling at her humility. Then she raised her head briefly to his brother. "And you would then be the mighty Prince Mufasa." Then she bowed again.

"Who's the creampuff?" Taka spat. Obviously charming wasn't equal to mighty in his eyes.

"I'm her friend Winju. My brother Kivuli and I have also just joined your pride." He bowed to the young princes.

Nyota looked at Taka again, causing him to puff out his chest and flip hi silky black mane behind his head. His emerald green eyes narrowed at her seductively. But something was missing… Then she realized it, he didn't have a scar on his left eye. She wondered how he got it in the first place but she had to say, its absence didn't hurt his looks one bit.

She looked away, feeling flustered and hot in her stomach for no reason only to look into the bright gold eyes of the other prince as he smiled at her. Was he wiggling his eyebrows at her? What about Sarabi or Sarafina? Or were they just being flirts? She bent her head to look at her dark paws letting her lioness mane, for lack of a better name for her hair, fall across her eyes to hide the flirtatious duo from her vision.

It didn't help much as she still felt their eyes on her, her shyness only egging them on. Thankfully Winju who was oblivious to the prince's eyes interjected. "What are you doing out here so early?"

"Father is going to take us hunting, but he had to see mother off as she went off to find a new water source, the waterhole has been starting to dwindle down." Taka replied eagerly.

Winju and Nyota exchanged an embarrassed look as they remembered how much water they had been drinking on the sly when no one else was looking. Honestly they didn't know about the growing shortage of water.

A sharp cry and low growls brought their attention to a gigantic rock. Laughter followed, an eerily familiar laughter. Taka and Mufasa quickly raced toward the rock, Nyota and Winju close on their heels. As they rounded the large rock they saw they were at Five Rocks, another odd rock formation in the Pridelands consisting of five large rocks.

Across from them a small grey figure hunched with a tall stick in its hands, shakily warding off three young hyenas. To Nyota and Winju it was clearly the wise baboon they were seeking.

Nyota didn't wait to roar and launch herself at the three spotted dogs, sending them cowering against the other rock nearby. She growled with narrowed eyes glaring daggers at the threesome. Realization stopped her, it was Shenzi, Banzai and Ed but at a younger age.

"We weren't gonna _eat_ 'em, honest!" Shenzi quickly cackled.

Nyota frowned. "But you were going to _kill_ him." She remembered the law of the Pridelands from some nook in her lioness brain. "We only kill for food, not for sport. Now go!"

The three gladly ran away as fast as they could, a cloud of dust was soon the only evidence that they had been there at all, allowing Nyota to turn back to the still cowering monkey.

"It is okay, you're safe now."

Rafiki looked up into her eyes and cackled at her making her face go slack in confusion. "_You_ are the weirdest lioness I have _ever_ seen! But you show the courage of a lioness so you mustn't be a threat. My name is Rafiki, I have traveled from afar to gather all the wisdom and knowledge Africa has to offer." He stood proudly with a wide monkey grin.

Nyota grinned warmly back at him. "I'm sure the Lion King would value having your wisdom in his lands."

Just then a loud roar brought all eyes to King Ahadi himself as he ran up to them. "Who is this? What happened?"

Nyota bowed before answering. "Rafiki was passing through on a quest for wisdom across Africa when some hyenas cornered him."

Rafiki pointed his stick at the grey lioness. "She saved me. You must be the Lion King she mentioned. Perhaps my wisdom may benefit a king much like yourself? Hmm?" he cocked his head towards the panting king.

"Well, I could use some help. My queen is currently searching for water… And I have other needs to attend to. Like those hyenas." He growled. He turned to Nyota. "Which way did they go? They must be dealt with by me although I appreciate your help greatly."

Nyota pointed in the direction past the depleting waterhole and Ahadi began to jog in that direction. He was stopped by Taka though.

"Father, weren't you supposed to take me…uh, Mufasa and me, hunting?" he reminded with a hopeful smile.

Ahadi looked past his son toward his destination. "Yes, but it will have to wait."

"You never keep your promises! Something always comes up when you plan to do anything with me!" Taka challenged angrily as Mufasa looked between the two quietly.

"Your brother seems to understand the duties of a king. They sometimes interrupt our personal wants and plans." Ahadi lectured gently.

But Taka wouldn't have it. "You always spend more time with your favorite, never me!"

"Taka, if you would only understand…" Ahadi tried but Taka sprinted away with an angry growl in his throat. Ahadi could only watch sadly as Taka took off in the opposite direction of the waterhole and so he turned back to continue toward the hyenas. Mufasa looked sadly at his father and ran after his brother.

Nyota began in the brothers' direction with Winju close beside her.

"Why doesn't Scar have a scar yet?" he asked as they ran.

"He must not have gotten yet, I'm not sure when he's supposed to either."

It didn't take them long to catch up with the brothers who were now lounging in the shade by a dried waterhole. They slowed to a walk but were stopped by Rafiki who laughed at each of them madly forcing them back a few steps until they sat down roughly.

"What do you want?" Winju growled as he blocked the stick from thumping his head with his white paw.

"Young Taka will need to wise up if he hopes to be king, but a scarring experience will not help him in time with a lesson better taught through patience." Rafiki sang.

"Always riddles with you." Nyota muttered, but the baboon was gone as soon as he'd come. She stood and continued walking toward the princes but paused when Winju was still seated behind her. "Uhh..coming?"

His dark golden eyes met her cold blue hiding a revelation. "A scarring experience, it was in one of the Lion King's books about six new adventures back home. One story told of how Rafiki came to be in the Pridelands although you saved him instead of Ahadi and it also told of how Taka afterwards got his scar. He tried to make Mufasa embarrassed by scaring a buffalo named Boma who gets stuck in mud or something but scars Taka's face with one of his horns. Ahadi tells Taka that the scar would be a reminder that he can't be selfish and Taka takes the name Scar to further remind himself when he finally learns the lesson. It must be about to happen!" they both raced toward the young princes.

Taka looked up at the pair as they stopped in front of him and his brother. "So you followed me too, huh?" he smiled at Nyota again but she ignored it. She had to prevent him from getting hurt, the scar wouldn't always keep the lesson fresh in his mind but become a symbol of how his father favored Mufasa and never had time for his other son. She rethought her approach and smiled back at the dark prince.

"Of course I did." She batted her eyelashes at him from behind her long fur bangs.

"You sure are a weird lioness, that the baboon got right." He murmured. Then he noticed Mufasa and Winju were staring at them in a weird way and stood up. "Want to see something cool? Muffy's already seen it and he should get to know Winju better."

Without explaining his reasoning he ran off for Nyota to follow him. She looked at Winju reassuringly with an 'I got it covered' wink before chasing after the skinny lion.

She caught up to him by a large tree and he began to climb it until he got to a hidden branch. Not sure what he was doing, Nyota followed rather quickly. She could climb a lot better than she could in her human body.

When she reached Taka's branch she sat beside him on it. "What's the cool thing you wanted to show me?"

Taka looked over at a small sliver of silver light along the distant horizon. "That, I wonder what it is."

Nyota looked at the silver lining and had a feeling it was an omen but pushed the feeling away. "It could be the ocean, I lived by an ocean once." She smiled fondly at her memory of her home in San Francisco. "It would change colors when the sun would set, lighting it ablaze with orange light."

Taka studied her expression. "The ocean? What is the ocean?"

She laughed. "It's a very large body of water."

She saw his eyes shine with an idea. "Do you think Mother went to the ocean? Would it have enough water for the animals here?"

Nyota shook her head. "While it has enough water, it's undrinkable. It's filled with salt, it would only make the animals sick and dehydrated. But she will find water, there is an oasis where a great river flows. The Lion King Mohatu journeyed there once in the past if I recall."

Taka nodded at this, proud his mother would find water where his grandfather might have. They sat there in the quiet for a while until the sun began to set and Nyota sighed in relief as Taka's face was still unscarred. Her mission was accomplished.

He gazed up at the stars as they blinked to life to dance across the darkening sky. "Father says the great Kings of the past are up there…" Nyota nodded knowingly. Mufasa had come to Simba from the stars in the original movie. She looked back down at the young male. His face seemed worried as he concentrated on what he was about to ask. His voice wasn't arrogant and loathing, but strong and silky, a gentler version of the Scar she knew he could become.

"Do you think I could be up there one day?" his large green eyes searched her gentle blue. She smiled and nodded affectionately.

"Taka, you could be the greatest king, but you must know that your father does love you. You may be smaller than Mufasa, but you have great stealth and your mother believes in you I'm sure. You must show your father that you understand the duties of a king and that you can become stronger. I can train you with Winju and Kivuli, we can make you into the next king." She urged. Rafiki had said that Taka would learn a lesson but it was best learned without a scar. No matter what a scar symbolizes to the hopeful, it always turns ugly.

Taka nodded eagerly. "I'd do anything to become a great king! Can we start tomorrow?"

Nyota nodded. "I know you would, but always remember, the welfare of the pride always comes before your own."

He nodded, finally understanding what he had overlooked in jealousy hours before. "We should go home, father must be worried."

They leapt down from their branch and began trotting towards Pride Rock, sharing a hopeful smile between them.

When they climbed the rock to the ledge overlooking the plains they were met by the dark gold king. "Son, when Mufasa came home without you I was worried, Maji is out looking for you. I had feared I was too hard on you, I never meant to go back on my promise…"

Taka stepped up to his father happily. "Father, I was the one who was being unreasonable. I do understand the duties of a king it's just, you've always spent more time with Mufasa…" he steeled himself for the question he was about to ask, unsure of the answer he would receive. "Father, do you think he would make a better king than I would? Is that why you hardly spend time with me?"

Ahadi couldn't help but notice the hurt in his dark son's voice. He frowned and looked up at the sky for guidance from the kings. "It is true that Mufasa was going to be my choice, but now that you've shown maturity and understanding maybe I should reconsider." He looked back at his son and eager emerald met contemplating emerald eyes.

"I will do my best to make you proud father! Oh, and tomorrow I'm going to train with my new friends. If we see anything of importance while we're out, I'll report back to you." At his father's smile and accepting nod the prince ran into the cave.

Nyota stood back, unsure where she should go with the king still before her. Did she have to be dismissed? She shuffled her paws and lightly chewed on her lip.

Ahadi turned back from the cave. "You have taken interest in my son becoming king? I had trained them when they were cubs but I haven't done that in a while, he doesn't have the same build as his brother. Don't be surprised if he doesn't make the cut." He warned, and then added in a warmer tone, "Would you like to sleep in the cave? You're friends are welcome too, I think they are back where you had slept before."

Nyota nodded and went to collect her friends. Kivuli was pacing in front of his brother who was resting on his side.

"What do you mean she just walked away?" he growled at which Winju replied in a bored tone. "The same thing I've been telling you since I got back, we chased after Taka and Mufasa then she went off with him to see something."

"Well, what kind of something did he go show her?" Kivuli prodded with renewed vigor.

"He said it was something cool that Mufasa had already seen but when I asked him what he didn't know exactly what his brother had meant."

Kivuli stopped pacing. "Something cool? But Mufasa didn't know what he'd meant and you couldn't come…God! Winju! He was going to…how could you let her go off alone?"

Confusion flashed through Winju's golden eyes to quickly be replaced by horrified realization. "Oh, no! I-I-I didn't know!"

Nyota let them freak out for a moment more until she padded into the small alcove with a dirty smile on her face. "Why hello boys, Taka and I saw the ocean."

At her appearance they settled down and relaxed, it was just the ocean.

"Then we had the best _conversation_ of our lives…" she teased.

They instantly paled with gaping mouths until she couldn't keep a straight face anymore and laughed. She fell back on her hind paws then flopped to her side laughing hard. "It was only a conversation about him being able to be king! We didn't do the deed you guys, ha! But why would it matter anyway?" she sat up to see them looking off in the distance, Kivuli scratching the back of his head with his paw.

She shook her head at them and began walking back to the cave on Pride Rock. "Ahadi has invited us to the cave if you want a better shelter tonight." Then she turned back and entered the cave without looking back at them on her way up. She didn't look at them again until they were nestled in a corner of the cave and settling down for the night. "By the way, we train Taka in the morning. We're going to give him a shot at being king."

They nuzzled next to one another and slowly drifted off to sleep, anticipating the promising dawn.

_**Please review!**_


	4. The Gorge

**Chapter Four: The Gorge**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Taka woke up before the rest of the pride and peered at the sliver of sun as it rose, bathing the land in its warmth. He hadn't risen this early since he was a cub and would go exploring or spending time with his father. The memories brought a smile to his face. He scanned the cave for his new friends and spotted the trio in a nearby corner a little way from the lionesses.

He expertly crossed the distance and plopped on his belly in front of the dark lioness, her longer fur shading her closed eyes and her nose twitching in her sleep. He gently prodded her with his paw but she just swatted it absently away, turning her face to bury it in her arm. He prodded her again.

Same result, she furrowed deeper into her soft fur.

He sighed and tried her dark companion. He instantly woke up, a blood red eye glaring from behind a lock of black mane. The lion rose to his feet and bared his teeth at the prince. "What do you want?" he asked as he recognized the lion but not lowering his silent snarl.

Taka didn't seem to care. "Nyota promised we would train together today…"

Kivuli nodded, replacing his snarl with a frown before jabbing his paw in his brother's side to wake him. He rose his snowy head groggily and shook himself. "What?"

"Nyota and we are going to be training young Taka here. We need to get her up."

Winju nodded and yawned before rolling Nyota over with his head, shocking her awake. She shot up and looked around before shoving her paw at Winju's face. "You couldn't have woken me up in a gentler process?"

"I tried, you just buried yourself in her arm." Taka informed. "So where are we going to train?"

Nyota smiled at his eagerness. He was like a puppy. "Why don't we go in the gorge?"

Winju remembered how Mufasa died in the first movie and interjected. "What if the herd gets startled? They'd stampede down the gorge and trample us!" but his brother answered, "Winju, we aren't cubs, we would hear them and leap to safety on the ledges. Now come on, let's go, I wouldn't mind some training myself."

They exited the dark cave and looked up at the dark orange sun and headed towards the gorge.

"Taka, why don't you pick a spot to train." Nyota suggested as they traveled down the dusty sienna path of the gorge. The young male nodded and padded ahead.

"Why are we doing this again?" Kivuli asked, his scarlet gaze not leaving the brown lion ahead of them.

"He wants a chance to be king, we can give him that." She answered.

"But he ruins the Pridelands remember. They don't have any food by the time Simba grows up and he killed his brother and chased his own nephew out with those hyenas. He doesn't deserve a chance." Winju muttered.

Nyota ran to stand in front of him and growled. "That was after he got that scar and his brother was chosen because he was the favorite. He will learn how to be a proper king if it's the last thing I do as a lion. He already understood why his father couldn't spend much time with him and Ahadi has agreed to it. Nothing is determined yet." She then whipped around to follow Taka once more with Kivuli close beside her, Winju plodding along behind them.

When Taka picked his spot he turned to his friends. "This is the widest section and if the herd comes this is also the place with the most ledges." He pointed out the many rocky ledges above them at an easily accessible height while also being a safe distance from the ground.

Nyota smiled and took a position opposite him. "Okay Taka, it's obvious that Mufasa has the genetic upper hand but we can train you to build your body."

He nodded. "Now," she ordered, "take a position, we are going to spar to test your strength."

Winju growled but was silenced by an icy glare from the lioness.

Taka lowered himself close to the ground and spread his paws before him, ready to pounce. Nyota lowered herself as well but kept one paw close to her body, ready to spring away in case he lunged.

They began circling each other, icy blue watching emerald green for a sign of attack. Taka matched her moves until he lunged at her side, claws sheathed. Nyota saw the decision flash across his eyes before he lunged and was able to leap to the safety of a ledge before he made contact with the ground where she once stood.

"Taka, do not look with your eyes, an opponent can see you make your move before you do. Keep your eyes void of expression and keep eye contact with your opponent at all times." She leapt back to join him again. "Now, come at me."

Another low growl from Winju but he didn't stop at Nyota's glare.

Taka pounced at her with all his might. She braced herself for the impact and rose back on her hind paws, sitting in an upright position and wrapped her arms around the prince as she was pushed back onto her back. She felt the wind knocked out of her but she pushed him over her with her hind legs and twisted back onto her paws and pounced on the sprawled lion as he twisted around to look up at her. She landed her hind paws on his underbelly and each of her fore paws on either side of his head with a low growl. Her jaws were gently gripping his throat.

Taka's eyes were wide and his breathing heavy. There was no way for him to escape alive. Winju stopped growling and chuckled slightly at the humiliated prince. Nyota removed herself from Taka and grinned down at him.

"That's how you win a fight, but right now your muscles aren't that developed. We'll work on those next." Then she turned to the chuckling Winju. "What's so funny? It's not like you could do better." She launched herself at the surprised lion and they grappled for a moment before Nyota pinned him with her paws on his chest and her body pressing him into the ground with no opening for him to push her over him.

His flustered golden eyes looked up at her smirking face. "Gotcha, Hotshot."

She got up and started walking back the way they had come. "Come on guys, we're going to run and hunt for the rest of the day. But now killing what we won't eat, claws will be sheathed."

Kivuli stood over his brother as he scrambled up. "Maybe next time you won't laugh, huh Hotshot? Ha! She gotcha good!"

Winju growled at his brother. "I don't see you challenging her, and she caught me off guard anyway."

"Whoa, I'm not stupid. She's lethal, and I kinda like it." He said as he began to follow the other two.

"You wouldn't say that if her teeth were at your throat." Winju grumbled making Kivuli laugh more.

When they had all caught up with each other they walked in silence, Nyota's head held high with pride, Winju's down in shame, Kivuli smiling at his brother's expense and Taka looking adoringly at the lioness. He tread close to her paws and eyed her strong body, her shiny coat rippling as she trotted. His eyes slowly trailed to her thighs before hurriedly going back to her elegant neck which was the most fascinating feature about her. She had longer fur there, almost like a mane, not as thick as a males but noticeable nonetheless. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked as the gentle African breezes blew through it. He was tempted to reach out and stroke it with his paw but refrained. She could easily overpower him in his current state and the other males would definitely attack him.

He decided to be content to be able to walk by her side and breathe in her scent the breeze brought to his nostrils, bringing a lazy smile to his lips.

Winju noticed the smile and scowled at the prince. It was obvious he didn't mind being pinned by Nyota by the way he kept eyeing her and inhaling deeply on the breeze. He flexed his muscles and thought about digging his claws into that orange-brown coat of his and ripping that silky black mane from his scalp. But a noise snapped from his bloody thoughts and he perked his ears to hear it better. It was a clipping sound. Like hooves on stone.

He scanned the surrounding walls of the gorge and saw a ledge a few yards away that they could reach. He ran next to Nyota and voiced his concerns. "Nyota, I think there's about to be a stampede, you see that ledge?" he indicated it with his head. She nodded, listening closely for any sign of a stampede, her eyes widening as she heard the mass of clipping along with the others and realizing only one ledge held safety. "Run! Get onto it!" he yelled pushing her forward as he pointed it out to his brother and Taka.

They sprinted for the small ledge, but as soon as Nyota leapt up to grab hold she slid down a bit. The ledge was small and steep, they wouldn't all be able to fit.

Taka jumped to the spot beneath the lioness and pushed her up to safety before clawing his own way to safety, shifting closer to her to make room as Kivuli jumped and clawed his own way up. The black lion looked down at his brother and then to the near distance where they could already see the frenzied eyes of the bison.

"Winju! Hurry, you can make it!" he shouted desperately over the sound of thundering hooves. He looked down at the ledge and noticed they had taken up all but small portion bot big enough for a cub to sit on. But his brother jumped anyway and dug his claws into the small portion, steeling himself as the bison thundered by beneath his tail. He looked down to see horns dangerously close to his paws and attempted to pull himself up further. His frantic eyes found his brother's as he grabbed ahold of his paws and leaned down to grip his brother's mane with his teeth.

"I won't let you fall." He said through Winju's fur. They stayed like that until Winju started slipping again. He squeezed his eyes shut as he brought his brother further down as well. "We can't hold out, Kivuli…I can't hold on much longer." He heard his brother choke on a sob and felt a wet drop drip onto his ear. "Kivuli, you watch Taka and keep Nyota safe, I don't trust him." He whispered so that only Kivuli would hear.

"I won't let you fall!" he growled. Winju growled back. "I won't drag you down with me! Now let go!" he felt Kivuli slowly release his mane and looked up to meet his red eyes. "I love you brother, explain it to Nyota when the stampede stops." His brother was still shaking his head as he looked down at his paws. "I'll hold on until you fall. I won't just let you go." He stated firmly.

Winju nodded and repositioned his hind paws for a better grip and looked at where the bison kept coming. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer. It was a few moments before his claws slipped again and he heard Nyota gasp. He looked up at his brother with a frightened look. He didn't want to die but he didn't want to kill his brother in the process either. Kivuli gripped his paws tighter and shook his head as more bison tried to squeeze through the gorge. A horn smacked into Winju's thigh as a bison jumped over one of its fellow bison, causing Winju to slip further with a roar of pain shooting up his spine.

The rock incline became slick and he struggled to stay up but he slipped more. Looking up at his brother he shook his head and began to release his hold on the rock. Kivuli let out a sob as his brother groaned again, his injured leg losing its hold completely, his body sagging further. He growled at his brother, but he still latched on to his paws, not willing to let go. Then Winju saw it before he felt it. His body had sagged closer to the herd and bucking bison shoved his side with sharp hooves. He roared in agony as he lost his grip and bit at his brother's paws still connecting them. Kivuli roared and let him go, immediately reaching for him as he fell back into the rush of brown bodies.

Winju heard Nyota cry out in shock and even Taka's despairing gasp. He peered through slitted eyes and twisted before landing on a bison's back, sliding down to grip its haunches. He could feel the fracture in his ankle and rib, the pain numbing his body. He looked for an opportunity for safety and saw a crevice just big enough to fit into. Trusting fate he leapt from the bison's back and thudded a few feet away from the crevice and began crawling low to the ground toward his only chance of survival as a bison barreled straight into him, blood spraying across the limp white body.

Nyota saw as Winju slipped and fell into the stampede. "Nooo! Winju!" she could feel her heart tightening but she smiled with a little hope as he latched onto the bison's back. She grew worried as he slid but held his ground until he jumped for a crack no far from where they stood. She grinned excitedly and watched to see him crawl to safety only to see a spray of crimson.

Her heart stopped, air didn't come, she heard a scream but didn't care if it was her. She tried to jump to his aid but was held back by Taka. She let out a pained growl and nearly slashed the restraining prince but instead broke down against him. She knew she wouldn't be helping by throwing herself to the same fate. So she just cried and roared her defiance to the sky.

When the last of the bison finally petered out they all ran to where their friend had fallen. Nyota's face was damp from her crying but tears no longer came as she laid eyes on the red soaked form before her. He lay half in the crevice and half out, but he was bleeding all over from gashes and probably broken bones. She tried to step closer, to see if he was still breathing though his sides were still. She choked in anguish and dry tears. Taka draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her away from his body, patting her for comfort and calming her with a steady shushing noise.

Kivuli had sat a distance from his brother. He couldn't stop thinking how he could've saved him, if he had only held on longer and better. But he had saved them all. If he hadn't heard the herd when he had they would've been trampled or maimed while trying to reach safety. But he couldn't have saved himself, and Kivuli hated himself for it.

Taka led Nyota back to where Pride Rock was visible in the distance but she stopped and turned to the grieving black lion. "You let go of him…He's dead because of you!" she growled. Kivuli nodded.

"I tried, he told me to let go, he…" Kivuli tried to explain.

"No!" she interrupted. "You let him go! You killed him…" her eyes were wide as his death finally made its true impact on her core. "Your own brother…"

Kivuli couldn't meet her eyes and waited for her and Taka to walk a while before following at a distance. He felt ashamed and his head echoed with Nyota's scream. He had lost his brother and now he didn't even want to go home. He didn't deserve his old life without his brother. He couldn't even begin to think of how he would explain it to his family or friends or how he'd even be able to face life without Winju. He was his twin, a part of him, and he had killed a part of himself and for that he would never forgive himself.

_**Please review!**_


	5. A Star is Born

**Chapter Five: A Star is Born**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Kivuli watched as Taka led Nyota back towards Pride Rock around noon. He didn't blame them for not hunting or for not asking him to join them. He dug his claws into the soft soil and began to gage the earth with frustration.

What would he do now? He wanted to run, to run and never stop, to run to the point of exhaustion and just keep going. He wanted to be with his brother again, he wanted to die.

He buried his face in his paws and fell into a restless sleep. All he could see was Nyota's crying face and his brother's, determined not to kill his brother with him. He revisited the moment in the Gorge. His brother's frightened golden eyes looking into his own. He saw the silent words of fear as he heard his strong words telling him to let him go. His brother hadn't wanted to die, it was obvious the way he had looked at Nyota and been so opposed to Taka spending time with her. Kivuli had the same issues, but they were twins after all.

In his dream he waited to hear his brother yell at him to let go, to bite his restraining paws. But when the white lion's mouth opened it was a yell of protest.

"I don't want to die! Kivuli, help me! Don't let go, don't let go!" as he struggled to stay above the deadly animals.

Kivuli's eyes widened in his hazy dream. Was that what really happened? He was confused, he thought his brother had told him to let go. But he did, he wouldn't have let go otherwise…would he?

He thrashed out at the ethereal nightmare and remembered the movie where Scar had ruthlessly thrown his brother into the stampede. Had he done the same thing? He couldn't remember exactly how it had happened, it had happened so fast. He was confusing what was said and what was left unsaid. But what did he want to be the truth and what was the real truth? He didn't know anymore.

He was startled awake by the sound of paws padding across the grass. Opening one eye he saw a dark tan lioness with orange eyes looking down curiously at him. She wasn't very feminine but rather squared and burly. She looked similar to Maji.

She poked his paw gently with her own and peered closer, not realizing one of his eyes was slightly open. When he opened it completely to get a better look at her she shrieked in surprise and jumped back then started laughing in embarrassment.

"Hello, you must be one of the new lions that joined our pride." Her voice was gruff, not quite what Kivuli was expecting from a lioness. "I'm Sarabi, what's your name?"

"Kivuli." He murmured, not really in the mood for conversation.

"I heard you had a brother, where is he?" she looked around innocently but he felt the question stab his heart like it was a dagger meant to hurt him. She looked back at his troubled face, wrenched in pain, and her smile faded. "Is something wrong?"

"He-he's dead. Today, in the Gorge during the stampede." He loathed the pitying look she gave him as she lay down beside him and placed her paw on his.

"You saw it happen didn't you? No one should have to see a loved one die, but it wasn't your fault. I'm sure there was nothing more you could do…"

He couldn't take it. He didn't deserve her sympathy. He stood up and stalked a few steps away and sat down heavily. "You don't even know what happened. I had his paws and his neck, I was holding him up. He could've made it if I'd only held on a little longer…"

The lioness sat beside him. "I'm sure you held on for as long as you could…"

"No! I let him go! I let him go. Then he fell to be broken by the bison…it's my fault he's dead. Nyota and Taka know, too, they were there. They hate me…I hate me."

She was going to say more but he started walking towards the Gorge. He had to see his body one last time, maybe drag it out and give him a burial or something. He couldn't just leave him in the Gorge.

He ran back to the Gorge and jumped down to the floor, scanning the area for any trace of the stampede. All that was left was their paw prints as they had left. He searched for any sign of paw prints leading into the Gorge when they had come in for training but the hooves had flattened the ground. He sighed and trudged along the path, long shadows reaching across ahead of him with the dying light of the sun.

It was a while until he reached the wide space that they had chosen as their sparring grounds. He stopped and turned back to look at where he had come. Shouldn't Winju's body have been tucked into a crevice before this point?

He retraced a few steps, sniffing for blood and scanning the sides of the Gorge for their ledge. He found the small ledge with Winju's claw gages still vivid on the rock face. He turned back again with his nose close to the ground. He finally picked up a small trace of dried blood that he followed to the crack…but Winju wasn't there, only a smear where his broken body was dragged away.

Fresh tears poured down the young lion's face as he realized that his brother wouldn't get a burial, he had been carried off and devoured by scavengers. He sniffed the area, picking up a few different scent trails. There was lion and hyena that overpowered the bison and other smaller animals. He growled as he picked up the wild dog's scent. They would pay for eating his brother. They would pay dearly.

He ran along the trail, running up boulders and ledges until he came up panting at the field above. His eyes burned with hatred as the trail brought him closer to the far edges of the Pridelands close to Pride Rock but not the Pridelands. He knew that's his destination was the small shadowy spot on the Pridelands where no lion went alone. He was headed to the Elephant Graveyard.

**A little earlier…**

A dark gold figure padded along the floor of the Gorge as the bison's stampede thinned out. Her pride had instigated the stampede, the starved lionesses running crazily at the fat beasts as the sun rose above the land. They had gone home empty handed but not this lioness. She waited for the fool's mistake to dwindle down. A stampede always left wounded, sickly and younger bison for easier pickings in their mad rush for life or death. Her footfalls were silent as she found a small bison not quite fully grown as it continued to run even with its new limp from the rush.

An evil grin spread across her cream colored lips as her claws gripped the flattened earth before she leapt to rip the young beast's throat. The animal's life blood ran down her own neck and she relished in its warmth. She licked herself clean slowly and gorged on the fresh fatty, tender meat. The flavors filled her mouth and she closed her eyes in pleasure. She had spent so many days without food, she didn't want to share it all with her pride, they should get better at hunting. She decided to catch a small meerkat to bring back and a bit of the bison explaining how she found it under a flock of vultures or something.

Then she smelled something else, like matted fur and ripe fruit. She stood from her feeding and crept closer to the smell around a turn. She crouched low and peered behind a large rock, her indigo eyes spotting a grey monkey. She licked her jaws and was about to creep up behind the old fart before she saw what he was crouching over. It was a pile of white and red fur. She sniffed the wind as it carried their scent and stiffened. The near-death smell mingled with that of a young lion her age piquing her interest.

She watched closely as the baboon waved the fruit decorated stick over the body and rambled inaudible words and the wind picked up around them. She knew the baboon wasn't ordinary and she could see the lion's torn flesh and broken bones mending. He roared in pain as his near dead body was restored until he went limp once more. The baboon placed his ear close to the lion's chest and smiled, satisfied.

Jua couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed. The monkey had saved the lion's life from death. She waited until the monkey had gone then dragged her kill to the body of the still bloody lion. She could hear his gentle breathing and smiled to herself. He was strong, just what her pride needed. Kodi would be pleased with her and it was about time she got some gratitude from the insolent pride leader.

She nudged the lion with her small pink nose but he didn't stir. _He must be tired from the near death experience_, she thought. She then began to clean his fur, finding it soft as a cloud. Once he was clean she nuzzled next to him. Yes, he would be a strong member for her pride, if she could convince him to join her that was.

It was a while until the white lion woke. His molten gold eyes peering around in confusion. "Where am I?" he mumbled.

Jua stood beside him and smiled toothily down at him. "You don't remember how you got here? I'm Jua, what's your name?"

He seemed surprised to see her there while he wasn't surprised to hear a lioness's voice, this struck Jua as somewhat odd. "No, I don't, but I know my name is Winju. What are you doing here?" he looked up at the dark gold lioness. She could've been male if she had a mane with her coat's color.

She swatted what was left of the bison in front of him. "I was hunting for my pride, this was my kill but you can have the rest. I'll just say it was unlucky as usual. We don't have much food where I'm from which is why I came into these lands and then I found you." She smiled down at him as he ripped into the flesh and crunched the bone. He had more likely been caught in that stampede, ironic how he was now doing to a beast what that beast had done to him only moments ago.

"Where do you live?" he asked once he was finished.

"Over in the Outlands. There are a couple prides out there actually. It's one for all and all for one out there. Most of us aren't that strong so we can't always find enough food." She explained. "I can take you there. You can join our pride! You'd be so helpful." She cooed as she circled him. He was strong.

Winju nodded, not really knowing what else to do. He didn't know anybody or where he was even at. Maybe it was best for him to leave and start over from whatever life he had led before. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was leaving behind something important as they exited the Gorge and crossed a broad log bridge over a deep ravine with a distant raging river. But he also couldn't shake the knowledge that no one had been there with him when he woke up but Jua, if they hadn't cared enough about him to be with him when he was asleep with amnesia then they shouldn't be that important to him. Nonetheless, he looked over his shoulder with a pained look and unexplained tears stinging his eyes but not able to fall, leaving his vision blurry and unfocused. He shook them from his eyes and purposefully followed Jua into a darker, swampy landscape littered with rocks and scraggly brush and sad trees. This was his new home, this was his future.

**Back at Pride Rock…**

Taka lay down next to the dark grey lioness under the moonlight. Her wet ice colored eyes glistened like ethereal pools. It pained him to see her like this. He wasn't exactly happy Winju was dead but he knew death happened; his own uncle had been slain by his father when he tried to take his mother as his. Taka had been fond of his uncle too, but it happened and made him understand boundaries weren't meant to be crossed.

He nuzzled her neck affectionately but she just got up and went to lay down in the spot where she and the brothers had slept that first night in the pride. It seemed so long ago now that they weren't here. Then she grew worried. Kivuli wasn't back at Pride Rock yet, she didn't want the last thing she said to him to be that he had killed his own brother, no matter how true it was.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and spotted Sarabi climbing up to the cave. She had seen the lioness earlier when she and Taka had plodded back from the Gorge. She had been going somewhere with Mufasa but he had been called away by his father on father son business.

She jumped up to meet the lioness outside the dark cave. "Excuse me, Sarabi, but you didn't happen to see a black lion while you were out did you?"

The dark tan lioness nodded. "You mean your friend Kivuli? He was under a tree mumbling in his sleep when I saw him. He was pretty upset about his brother." She looked uneasily at her paws. "Are you going to go talk to him? I tried but he didn't seem to want to talk to me. Maybe he'd listen to you. He seemed depressed that you hated him."

Nyota shook her head. "I don't hate him, it was just…Winju… I need to find Kivuli." She ran down the rocks to the grassy plains. She raced through the grey field until she reached the tree where they had last seen the dark lion. His scent was faint.

She turned to find Mufasa behind her, his brown eyes worried. "Nyota, is everything okay? I saw you running out here alone and didn't think it was safe. I heard what happened to Winju…I'm sorry. It must've been hard to watch. I wouldn't want that fate on my worst enemy."

She couldn't help but chuckle dryly at the irony that she had probably saved the prince from the same fate but was unable to save her friend. It hurt, deep, but she kept the tears repressed this time.

"It wasn't pleasant, but I can't hate his brother for not being able to save his brother. I said some really hurtful things to him after it happened. I need to set things right."

He nodded. "I could help you find him if you'd like."

She accepted his offer gratefully and they sniffed around until they found his trail. "He went back to the Gorge? He probably went to collect Winju's body. I should've been with him instead of leaving him here to grieve alone."

They ran to the edge of the Gorge but lost his trail at the smears of blood and small amount of bison bones. The stink of blood and death overpowered all else. As they stepped back and sniffed again they picked up the mix of hyena and the warm grassy smell of Kivuli. Nyota smiled and ran along the trail, leaping up to the plains above and racing along the trail. But she stopped when she realized where they were going. She turned to confirm her fears as Mufasa caught up with her.

"Doesn't that head into the…"

"Elephant Graveyard. We shouldn't go in there. Hyenas populate that land." He warned.

Nyota shook her head and ran into the shadowy lands, leaping over fallen trees and braches, following the only smell of warm grass through the wreckage of bones.

**Deeper in Elephant Graveyard…**

Kivuli had finally found the hyena's den where all the wild dogs slept. He scanned the scene angrily until he pinpointed the three he was looking for. He sniffed again to make sure and bared his teeth in confirmation, slowly crawling toward his victims. The other hyenas had receded to their separate sleeping areas and the three that had wandered the Gorge earlier that day nestled down in a pile of dry bones. The one with longer hair than the others was obviously female with the way the other one was messing with her so that she bit him repeatedly to stop while the obviously insane one gnawed on his own leg.

Kivuli was a short distance away, his black fur blending him in to the shadows, only his red slits for eyes barely visible. He flexed his claws and waited for them to fall to sleep before standing over them. He wanted to do this quietly so as not to call the others to the wretched trio's defense.

He slowly placed his paw on the insane one's throat and crushed it instantly. His yellow eyes snapped open then bugged out turning dull as his life drained from them. He turned to the other male and quickly snapped his neck, the motion made his leg jerk though and the female woke up groggily.

"Huh? Banzai, Ed? What's the matter…whoa!" she scrambled up but was attacked by the heavier lion who crushed her neck with his strong jaws. She attempted to scream for help but all she could do was gurgle as blood filled her air way. When she was limp Kivuli dropped her to the ground and retreated the way he had come.

He had avenged his brother as much as he could, now all that he could do was go wander the wilderness until death claimed him as well. He was trapped in his thoughts when he heard the snap of a bone close by. He instantly became alert and ready to strike. Usually he was more aware than this.

Then he saw a dark blue-grey figure leaping through the wreckage and his heart leaped, a smile crawling across his face before he composed himself. He cleared his throat and the figure stopped and turned to him, it was her!

"Nyota." He said relieved she had come looking for him.

She ran up to him with fresh tears in her eyes and rubbed her head under his. "Oh Kivuli! I didn't mean what I'd said before and didn't want that to be our last conversation." She smiled up at him but frowned at the blood around his muzzle. "You've got a little blood…" she indicated the blood smeared area with her paw on her own face. "What were you doing here?"

"Hyena's had passed by Winju's body when I went to collect it for a burial or something and his body was gone. So I came and avenged him. No one would get away with eating my brother." He spat the last sentence out with vehemence.

She nodded understandingly. "Let's go back to Pride Rock, we were worried about you." She murmured.

He almost denied her request but couldn't avoid the sorrowful look in her eyes. The mood seemed to match their color so well, as if she was meant to be always sad. But he liked them better when they shone with happiness. He decided he would do anything to make her happy again, it was what her brother would've wanted. He nodded and they made their way out of the bone littered land finding Mufasa not that far in.

"Thank you Mufasa." Nyota purred.

He nodded and led them back to Pride Rock. They slipped into the silent cave and curled in the corner they had shared with Winju. Nyota curled up with her head on her paws and her tail wrapped tightly around her. She settled herself in with a sigh. Kivuli lay down beside her and they pressed against each other to share in their silent mourning and warmth.

_**Please review!**_


	6. The Hunt

**Chapter Six: The Hunt**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Nyota woke to find Kivuli's paw draped across her shoulders and Taka making his way towards them from across the den. She yawned and shifted from under the black lion's warmth and shook herself awake, waking Kivuli in the process.

His sleep clouded red eyes blinked open and he yawned loudly. He tensed slightly at the brown lion approaching them, a low growl forming in his throat before he coughed it away.

"Morning, are we going to continue training?" he asked tentatively. His bright green eyes jade in the grey dawn light coming from the opening of the cave.

Kivuli stood and looked to the dark blue-grey lioness as she thought about the training plans. She finally nodded her head. "I'm sure Winju would've wanted it to continue. Let's go, we can start by running until noon with short breaks for breath and water."

"What about my mother's mission? She's gone to find water because our supply is depleting." Taka asked worriedly.

Nyota made her way to the entrance. "I know where there is a lot of water. We can go there for a few days or so until your training is complete."

Kivuli padded up beside her. "You mean the oasis? Isn't that across the desert?"

She nodded. Simba could do it as a cub so why not us?" she looked at him sideways with a smirk on her lips. When they were down from Pride Rock she lapped up a small amount of water from the waterhole and pranced a little ahead of the males as they lapped up a bit of water. "Race ya!" she challenged and broke into a jog and sped into a full out run towards the desert.

The males looked up at her then at each other before charging after her.

"No fair!" Kivuli laughed as he struggled to match her pace.

Taka used his longer legs to project him further with each leap and was soon between Nyota and Kivuli who brought up the rear. He smiled at the other male as he sped past him.

Kivuli grinned and caught up with the thinner male. "Oh, no you don't!"

They kept at this until they were slicing through pale gold tall grass and finally reached a large expanse of trees. Nyota pounced onto a large root extending from an extremely tall tree and turned to lick her paw at the panting males.

"You can't be that tired." She joked then led them through the trees. Kivuli, also knowing the way, padded close beside her. He held his head high as he felt daggers being stared at him from behind and smiled.

"So," Taka asked as he took the other side of the lioness. "Was this where you two came from?"

Nyota shook her head and replied thoughtfully. "We've been here before but came from another place entirely."

"By the ocean." Taka guessed, remembering their night in the tree.

"Yes, at least I did, I met up with Kivuli and Winju later…" she trailed off, not wanting to bring the powerful white lion back to the front of her mind. "Here we are." She stopped a wall of tall ferns and pushed her way through to the bank of the river.

The males followed and Taka gasped at how beautiful it was.

Nyota crept up behind him and looked sideways at Kivuli with a wicked grin on her face that he returned. She whooped and shoved the sidetracked prince into the cold water and the two laughed on the shore as he gasped and wildly swiped at the water until he was back on the ground panting and wide eyed. Nyota and Kivuli leaned against each other but slipped and ended up rolling on the ground holding their sides. Taka shook himself but was still dripping wet. With a scowl he padded over to the two dry lions and gripped them in a tight hug.

They wiggled and pushed away from him but weren't let go until they were dripping some as well. Nyota whooped again and sprang into the water, surfacing to paddle around. "We're already wet so why not join me for a swim?" she batted her eyelashes and swam downstream. The other two glared at each other and ran towards the water, Kivuli grabbing a vine with his teeth to swing into the middle of the river with a roar of laughter. Nyota smiled to herself. It was good that they were getting over Winju's passing and looking towards the future. However, she was pulled from her thoughts as Taka surfaced in front of her and dunked her before paddling away. He was a faster swimmer than she was as he was used to swimming as a lion instead of the very different process as a human. She giggled as she chased the other two around in a game of water tag until her stomach growled. She remembered she hadn't eaten anything yesterday and figured now was the best time for hunting as the other two's stomachs growled their protest as well.

**In the Outlands…**

Winju followed the dark gold lioness for a while, passing many half dead trees and large and broken rocks on their way. She would turn to look at him over her shoulder to make sure he was still following her then would quickly look away blushing. When the sun was almost at its peak she stopped by a large outcrop of boulders.

"Here's where our pride resides, we like to keep to ourselves mostly although we welcome anybody who is exiled. We don't discriminate against other prides that weren't our own like the Outlander pride does." Jua informed.

Winju looked confused. "Aren't you all Outlanders?"

She nodded and explained further. "But there is a pride out here that takes that name specifically. Their leader is old though and no other male has been exiled from the Pridelands of Ahadi since Mohatu's time that has joined their pride. Although we have the older brother of Ahadi who was exiled not long ago for trying to take the Princess Uru while she had Ahadi's two sons. Ahadi didn't want to exile his brother but his family and the Pridelands were more important to him than family and birth rights." She growled. "Ahadi was a rogue with his brother Kodi when their pride was raided by another. They were sent to make a new home. The two princes found Mohatu's pride and both fell _deeply_ in love with his daughter. As birth right, Kodi should've been the one to woo the young lioness but Ahadi also wooed her and won her heart as well as her parents."

Winju nodded in understanding. "That sounds about right. So he just exiled his brother like that after taking everything from him?"

Jua nodded sadly. "But in doing so, he gave us the most powerful leader we have ever had and now with you we can take back what is his." Her face turned from sorrowful to evil, but Winju didn't notice the change. He nodded and looked around the outcrop.

"So where is the pride?"

She stepped into the middle of the outcrop and perched on a large rock that was positioned in the middle of the others. She roared and many glowing eyes appeared from within the caves and crevices that were formed by the surrounding boulders. Winju looked around nervously and gulped in fear. There were many lionesses crawling from their dens as well as a handful of males. There were five males total. The biggest and oldest was a light tan color with cream toes and with a dark brown mane and only one light green eye, the lion beside him had the same pelt color and color eyes but with a dark gold mane. By the looks of it he was the older lion's son. Across the outcrop there was a pale gold lion with a light brown mane and dark blue eyes like Jua's and the same pale toes and beside him were the other two lions. The younger one had a light grey pelt with white toes and a black mane and light blue eyes and the last lion was an orange brown color with tan toes and with a black mane and jade eyes. That lion stepped into the light and approached the two.

Jua jumped down to meet him and smiled smugly. "Kodi, I found a new recruit for our pride. He doesn't know anything except his name, I found him while out hunting yesterday. He was unconscious in the Gorge of the Pridelands after the stampede."

The leader of the pride looked down at the young lion. Winju noticed he had three scars down his face, two small scars across each of his cold jade eyes and a long scar running parallel to the others from the hairline of his mane to his black nose. He must have gotten it while in a fight with another lion.

Winju cringed under his scrutinizing glare and made a small bow before sitting straight. The lion nodded and turned to Jua. "You have done well, I may reconsider your earlier request." He purred as he circled the two.

Jua rolled her eyes and padded to the young lion with the light brown mane and similar eyes. "Please Kodi, you don't expect me to still want _that_, do you? Oh, Winju, this is my brother Zura. The little cub beside him is Azure." She teased. Azure frowned at the lioness and shot back, "We're the same age."

She padded over to the older lion and introduced him. "And this is Moja and his son Neema. These are the lion's you'll mostly be talking to but if you want to learn the names of the lionesses you can but they usually keep to themselves." She brushed them aside and returned to her brother's side. "You can sleep in our den if you'd like!"

Winju nodded. He didn't really feel comfortable around the other lionesses. Most of them were a dark brown or tan color, a few cream colored with pretty blue, pale green and various shades of brown eyes. A few had longer muzzles than the others but there was simply too many to remember all their names. He followed Jua into their spacious cave that she shared with Zura and Azure and laid down. He was so tired from all their walking and quickly fell asleep.

He woke up to the orange glow of the setting sun and Azure sitting in front of him. The lion was about his age if not exactly and was smiling down at the newest member of his pride. When he saw the golden eyes of Winju peering up at him he sprung to his paws and bounced around in front of him.

"You're awake! You want to go hunting or spar?" he asked excitedly. "Did you do that in your old pride? Did you even have an old pride?"

Winju sat up and yawned. Zura and Jua were still asleep stretched out in the back of the den so he decided he might as well make another friend in his new home.

"I think I used to do that kind of stuff…I don't remember much about my old friends though." Azure immediately stopped bouncing and looked awkwardly around. "Don't worry Azure. I think I'm going to like living here and making new friends. But right now the only one I know is Jua and I don't know her that well so why don't we go and spar and whatever?"

The light grey lion smiled and led Winju out of the den and across the outcrop towards a barren field. Winju ran behind him slowly but felt eyes on him. He stopped and looked at the highest den and noticed two jade eyes and a calculating blue eye watching him, not blinking. He quickly fled the outcrop to catch up with his new friend, he didn't want to be alone with the pride's leader.

Azure stopped running and turned to crouch at Winju, smiling as he readied to pounce. Winju crouched in response and smiled as the grey lion leaped at the white lion who met him halfway. They grappled with each other, swatting at each other's face and chest until they lost their balance and rolled around in the dirt, fake biting at each other's necks and arms.

They finally broke apart, panting and laughing. "Seems like you remember how to fight." Azure complemented before sniffing the air.

Winju noticed the smell too and padded toward its source. He peeked over a rock at a zebra that was limping across the barren land. He hungrily licked his lips and looked beside him to see Azure looking at the creature like he was half-starved and noticed the lion probably hadn't eaten in a long time.

"Why don't we catch it and bring it back to our den for Jua and Zura?" Azure looked longingly at the zebra but frowned at that suggestion.

"If we bring it back we have to share with the _whole_ pride. We normally just eat what we find if we aren't in a hunting party unless we aren't hungry and we find something. We all seem to survive better that way." He explained.

Winju nodded and smiled at his friend. "Then we'll catch it and share it."

Azure nodded and immediately started creeping toward the animal while Winju crept around the other side. The zebra spotted the white lion and spooked, running around straight into Azure's waiting jaws. He snapped its neck quick and began tearing into the animal's middle as Winju joined him.

They ate until they were full and lay down under the shade of a large rock and looked up at the stars as they blinked into sight. Azure looked over at his companion. "I was once told the great kings lived up there and watched over us, helping us in our decisions and stuff. Do you really think they're up there?"

Winju smiled and nodded. "I strongly believe they are."

"So my dad's up there right now huh, that's so cool."

Winju looked down at the young lion beside him as he sat up. "Your dad was a king?"

He nodded with a small grin. "Back at my home Pridelands he was, before it was taken over by some _Maliki_ guy. My dad was getting on in his years but had finally had me to inherit the kingdom instead of one of my sisters but Maliki challenged him. He was a rogue and just happened upon our land from the southern prides and was young and strong. I was too young to beat him so he let me live but exiled me to insure his throne in the future. One of my sisters was chosen as his mate and they rule those lands now, the land is right by Ahadi's Pridelands and that's how I met Kodi and we found the Outlands together and he took over this pride from Moja and young Neema. They lead the pride together now."

Winju took in the information and contemplated what his old home had been like and if he was a prince that was exiled by a rogue who killed his father like what had happened to Azure. Maybe one of those stars up there was his father and he was watching over him as they sat there and watched the stars.

"I wonder who my father was…" he pondered aloud.

"I'm sure your memory will come back to ya in no time, buddy." Azure reassured him. He stood and shook himself and looked back towards the outcropping. "Hey, here comes Zura and Jua!" he waved a paw at his approaching friends.

Jua ran up to Winju and rubbed against his side. "I was worried you two got lost."

Zura wrestled with the younger Azure and looked over at his sister. "She was just _so_ worried about little Winju!" he teased.

Winju blushed. "What? What do you mean?"

Azure giggled at his oblivion. "Jua loves Winju, Jua loves Winju! Ha ha!"

Jua blushed now and pounced on her friend, swatting his face as he continued to laugh.

"I thought you wanted Kodi, Sis, what made you change your mind?" her brother pressed, blocking her attempt at pinning him.

"He's an arrogant jerk. He only noticed me when I brought some more muscle to his precious army, I'm not that easy. Winju's just an important member of the pride now and I just didn't want him to get lost again or for something bad to happen to him is all."

Winju looked from face to face of his new friends and smiled awkwardly. He was an important member of the pride? And what was this about an army? He decided to grin and bear it for now but also decided to put up his guard some around the other members of the pride. He didn't want to be some other lion's pawn in a feud that wasn't his. They play fought some more and fell asleep under the starry sky. Jua between Winju and Zura and Azure beside his new best friend, Winju couldn't help but notice how close he was allowing himself to get to the young male in such a short amount of time. The last thought he had was that the lion vaguely reminded him of someone else, someone he wanted to see again.

_**Please review!**_


	7. Brotherhood

**Chapter Seven: Brotherhood**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Nyota padded through the jungle until she found yet another trail. She figured they should go on a hunt for a fast creature to better emphasize the running for building Taka's body. She remembered how hard she had worked out to get fit and toned in her human life and laughed at her past aches and pains. It was much easier to work out a lion. _Maybe that played a part in me wanting to be a lion so bad_… She mused to herself. She recognized the scent as a gazelle. The fast, agile deer creature was the perfect prey.

She turned to see the two males frowning as their bellies let out another growl. There was a grumbling complaint from one of them and sat in the middle of their path.

"Stop complaining, I'm hungry too. Now, Taka, we want to still work your muscles so I've found our dinner." She motioned to where the scent was.

Taka sniffed. "A gazelle? But they're so fast…" he complained. He shut his mouth at the lionesses icy glare and smiled. "The better to run after."

She nodded and smiled. "So, what are we waiting for?" she followed the scent trail with the males quickly matching her pace. They tracked down the animal and found it back in the yellow tall grass with the rest of its herd. They all lowered into a crouch and sprang a bit too early on purpose so the animals scattered.

Nyota whooped and raced after a lithe deer just for the adrenaline rush and the familiar burn of her muscles. Taka matched her pace and they were nose to nose and soon joined by a laughing Kivuli. They whooped and scared their prey until they couldn't take the hunger any longer and Taka pushed himself forward and pounced on the gazelle's back, snapping its neck with his slobbering jaws.

They fed ravenously and flopped down panting. "Well that was a good run, huh guys?"

They nodded. Taka had his eyes closed and Kivuli stood and stretched before lying down again. They looked up as the sun sunk into the horizon and the stars blazed brighter in its absence. "One day Taka," Nyota murmured, "You'll be one of the brightest stars up there next to Mohatu and Ahadi."

The young prince smiled at the thought and rolled over onto his back. He cold already feel a difference in his body happening. He felt stronger, although not by much of course. But if he did this every day, he would be just like his father and brother, strong and reliable physically as well as strategically.

They fell to sleep to the gentle warm breeze that carried their scent across the savanna to a very nosy old baboon up in a large tree where he had made his home. He had broken a fruit to taste its juices when the breeze wrapped around him. He caught the wind's carried scent in the thick syrupy juice and poured the contents into a large tortoise shell he had collected along the sandy beaches far south. He swirled it in gentle circular motions and scratched at his long white beard. For some reason the spirit world was trying to contact him with an important message.

By the looks of the juice and feathers in the shell, it was telling of trouble to come from an envious brother. He considered who the spirits could be mentioning but could only think of the young princes Mufasa and Taka who loved each other very much. He dismissed the warning and went back to painting his little mural on the broad trunk of his home. He smeared the last touches to the five young lions and admired his work. There was a black lion, a grey lioness, a white lion, and the gold and brown lions prancing in their painted forms. They held the future of the Pride in their hands and decisions.

**Back in the jungle…**

Uru wound her way out of the dense trees of the jungle after bidding her new and old friends from childhood goodbye and good night. The dark brown lioness breathed the open air deeply as she walked into the tall grass, coming to a complete halt as she spotted the young lions asleep under the stars. She peered closer and her gold-brown eyes widened as she saw her son Taka with two stranger lions. On closer inspection the dark blue-grey lion was in fact as lioness. She smiled slightly at how Taka was laying close to her although not touching. If she didn't know any better she'd say he was crushing on the weird lioness.

She shook her head and headed home to report the confirmed water source to Ahadi and the other animals. But she glanced up at the stars and whispered a silent prayer for her young son in hopes that her father would help him become a powerful lion and possibly a great king.

Months passed. The animals survived the small drought in the jungle and Taka had grown to match his brother in strength and weight. Uru couldn't help but notice how he radiated joy since his change, and how he acted around the lioness. She lay in the shade on a flat rock and watched as her brown son pounced at the grey female who spun around to meet him and ruthlessly pin him after tussling in the grass. She heard their laughter and was reminded of her early days with Ahadi. She looked adoringly up at the dark gold lion as he conversed with Zuzu and Rafiki, pride swelling her heart.

Taka swatted playfully at Nyota's face. "I'm only letting you pin me you know, I've gotten much stronger." She laughed and bent close to his face.

"All because of me." She reminded.

She shoved her off of him and crouched, wanting to play fight. "Not _all_ of it! Come on, let's play fight!"

She leapt at him and he sprung up to meet her. They unbalanced each other and fell to the ground. Kivuli looked on with a frown at the laughing lions. Rolling his red eyes he remembered how Winju and he had played fought all the time during their first two months as lions. He missed his brother dearly and just wanted to go and die in the desert but couldn't leave Nyota. She was all he had left of his brother's and their friendship and happiness. And there was that mission Nyota was hell bent on fulfilling which was apparently making Taka king. But after all the work they'd done on the lion he had shaped up to a craftier Mufasa in no time. Turns out, all he needed was a shove and fatherly love that (once again thanks to Nyota) Ahadi had given him on a regular basis.

Nyota flopped in front of him, her heavy scent wafting over his senses, making his mouth water. Of course this week she was in heat although she couldn't tell. At least that what she always said although her flirtatious attitude she would pick up spoke otherwise, but Kivuli guessed she only did it to drive him and Taka mad as Mufasa was always nuzzling Sarabi which left Sarafina alone mostly. Though the black lion sometimes found himself drawn to her aroma too, which he usually snapped himself out of right before he charged her. He could tell Taka had the same problem as the females would purposefully waft their aromas at the two males.

He breathed deeply and smiled seductively at the grey-blue beauty before him. Maybe he'd make an exception just this once. She returned the smile and pulled herself up to lick her paw and comb it through her long fur. She winked at him then turned to talk to Taka about something or other. He couldn't concentrate on that as well as her body and aroma so he didn't try, but he did notice Ahadi and Mufasa as they approached.

"Taka, I wanted to talk to you and Mufasa about some king business by Maliki's border." The king called with a smile.

Taka smiled happily but looked sadly at the lioness before him but she shooed him on. Looking like he wanted to stay still he bounded over to his father and brother and they headed to the east where the border stood.

Kivuli waited until they were out of sight and walked up behind Nyota as she continued to wash herself. She began to lick her belly and leg when he ran his tongue along her spine. She giggled and looked over her shoulder.

"Hello there Kivuli…" she batted her eyelashes and stood, walking in the opposite direction of where Ahadi had taken his sons. He followed her until they were near the Outlands and she flopped down on her side.

Kivuli nudged her belly but only got her to swat her paw at his neck. He licked her again but didn't get any further response. He grunted and plopped down across her belly nuzzling her warm fur gently. They lay there for a while, just watching the setting sun like they always had in the past.

**In the Outlands…**

Winju woke to find Zura and Azure and Jua, his best friends in the world, sitting in front of him. He yawned and swatted Azure fondly. He was his favorite of the group.

"Kodi has summoned the pride." Jua murmured as she rubbed her head against his chest and over his shoulder in greeting. "We are to meet him with Neema at the border, he'll be waiting with Moja and Moja's mate Xena. We mustn't be any later than we are."

She led them out of the prides home and Winju noticed how quiet it was now that all the lionesses, more than he cared to count, weren't around gossiping or play fighting or crunching bones. He followed his three friends across the rocky barren wasteland until he spotted the thin yet muscular orange-brown body of Kodi and the tan body of his co-leader, Moja.

When they sat beside the two older males, Kodi barked out their orders. "The lionesses are moving into formation. Zura, you are to go with Jua to the east side of Pride Rock, go along the ridgeline of the Gorge for cover. Azure and Winju, you are to come up along the west side. Moja and I will head straight toward my throne. We'll give you enough time to position yourselves for easy access if needed. Go."

The four immediately followed their leader's orders and crossed the border from dry, loose soil to soft and springy grass. Winju looked back to see a small lioness who was apparently small for her age sitting in front of her mate. She had a cream colored coat and paler toes with piercing red eyes. She looked over at the white male and smiled. He had to admit she was very pretty for her age and he noticed a small cub beside her with the same ruby eyes. He didn't remember seeing them in the outcropping with their other two family members but he didn't have time to wonder about mysterious lionesses and turned back to join his pale friend in a run at their destiny.

Nyota and Kivuli headed back to Pride Rock when they started yawning more than talking. They had just crested the peak of Pride Rock when they heard a rustle to the left and right. They each went to investigate as two male lions rushed up with a flood of lionesses behind them. Nyota ducked in shock as the large lion that looked like an older Taka leapt over her and into the den. She ran in after him but was dragged back as teeth gripped her tail, _hard_.

She yelped and scratched at her assailant and smiled as she felt warm blood between her toes. She found a large one-eyed lion growling at her and instantly regretted it. She saw Kivuli shove the lion aside and smiled gratefully at him before turning at a loud roar from the entrance of the den.

They turned to see the older version of Taka step up from the darkness as a soft rain fell. Uru was forced out of the cave by a dark gold lioness and pale gold lion, she was scratched and bruised and terrified.

"Attention Ahadi's pride! There is a new king in charge. Unless my dear younger brother is around to challenged my claim?" he smirked evilly down at Uru who was strewn at his massive paws. "Looks like Mohatu isn't here to save you two, what a pity."

"You didn't _deserve_ to be king!" she spat. "You'll _never_ be _my_ king!"

He growled. "Of course, he showed more love and family devotion didn't he? Does this look like family love and devotion?" he indicated the three scars across his eyes and down his nose.

Nyota heard a roar of "NO!" from his lionesses and she looked despairingly at Kivuli. "Where's Ahadi?" He shook his head. She choked on her fear but held her head high, she wouldn't just give up when the pride needed her. But what made her insides cringe was the white lion beside a young light grey lion behind Ahadi's brother. "Winju?" she breathed. But he disappeared in the crowd of lionesses as if only a last hope mirage which truly hit home. Not only was her friend truly never coming back except to haunter her hopes, but her pride was now taken over and her king and princes were nowhere to help. She whimpered which caught the attention of the raving scared lion.

"Who is this pretty little thing?" Nyota looked up at him with wide blue eyes. He saw his intimidating figure looming over her in the teary reflection of her eyes and smiled wickedly. He liked the way her eyes shone with despair and sadness. And more than anything, he liked a female to know that he had power over her and there was nothing she could do about it. "You are an unusual one, aren't you? But the long fur and unique color only emphasize your uncommon beauty. What is your name, sweetie?" he purred as he circled her.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she whispered her name. "Nyota…" she felt his heavy paw run down her side and heard him inhale her scent deeply.

"Ah, star… how fitting." He returned to stand before the seething Uru. "You are no longer in my interest, my dear Uru. You have been with my traitor brother for too long, you are tainted." He turned back to Nyota. "You are now mine."

Nyota shrank against Kivuli and she felt him roar defiance but was silenced by a claw swipe to the face. Blood ran along his cheek from a gash across it. He growled and was about to strike back as the older lion lunged at him with claws prepared to rip flesh.

Nyota jumped in front of the lion causing him to sheath his paws and land on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She screwed her eyes shut as his face grinned down at her and she heard Kivuli snarl and the paws of the aggressive lionesses as they restrained him. The older lion stood up and took the place on the rock ledge where the king overlooked his kingdom. Lightening flashed in the far distance as he roared, declaring his kingship to the stormy heavens. "I am the new Lion King, King Kodi!"

Nyota sat up and sobbed as she searched the swaying grasslands for any sign of Ahadi, Taka or Mufasa. But she only saw silvery grey as the storm moved in on the Pridelands. How could it turned so bad when things were going so well? She was ushered into the den and led to a smaller section that was private from the rest of the den. As the two lionesses that led her there left she shook with fear and cowered in the nearest, darkest corner. Not long after, Kodi entered and sat in the middle of the private room as his eyes found her. He shoved a boulder in front of the small entrance and laid himself down on a bed of dried long grass and beckoned her towards him.

When she didn't budge he gave a low warning growl and unsheathed his claws. She scurried over on her belly and stopped a few feet away. He breathed in the air deeply with a glazed look in his eye as he ran his gaze over her body to her tail. He reached out a long arm and pulled her to him. She squeaked at the movement but he shushed her. He sounded like a deeper voiced Scar from the movie. She flinched as he nestled her against his underbelly and laid his head beside hers that she was trying her best to hid under her paws and arms, anything to get away from the world around her.

He licked her tear soaked face and nuzzled her affectionately. "Don't worry, Sweetie. It's been a long night for us all, I won't bite. As long as you do as I say of course. Tonight we sleep and tomorrow I deal with the responsibilities of a new king."

Nyota looked up at him with her still teary eyes. She knew what _responsibilities_ he had to attend to. He was going to kill his brother and nephews if they tried to protect their father. He wanted revenge and now he would have it.

Kodi nuzzled his face up to hers and she had no choice but to sleep with him breathing into her face. Not that his breath stunk, it actually smelled better than most she had encountered from Pridelander and Outlander alike. It was the possession he held over her that she didn't like or the fact that no matter how far away she pulled or pushed herself he was right next to her. She looked up at the spot of night sky through a hole in the rock ceiling where the rocks had cracked and caved in. She sent a silent plea to the kings if they really were up there like in her favorite movie, asking why such a thing had happened. Then she sent a prayer that they would be able to fight their way through it.

Winju lay on the small rock over a small pool of water behind Pride Rock with Jua, Zura and Azure. He thought he had heard his name when they had taken over this lands pride. He tapped the water with his paw, creating a ripple that disrupted his whole face. That's what he felt like right now, like his life had been disrupted and he was disoriented. And it all started when they came back here where he had been found supposedly half dead by Jua. He sighed and closed his eyes tight. He didn't want to think about the former queen or the owner of that terrified voice that was to be the new queen. He didn't want to think at all anymore, headaches were all that came of it. He saw Jua come up to lie down beside him. She nuzzled him affectionately but he didn't notice to her disappointment.

"Is something wrong, Winju?" she purred.

He nodded. "There's just something about this place that makes my head hurt." He explained as he looked away and closed his eyes. He just wanted to be alone right now. Actually he wanted to be anywhere but here but was too tired to leave just yet. He sighed and looked out of the corner of his eye at the pool again. He wished he had never come back to this place.

_**Please review!**_


	8. Long Live the King

**Chapter Eight: Long Live the King**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Nyota woke up when Kodi shifted onto his back and stretched his limbs above them. She hadn't gotten much sleep with his massive paw wrapped around her. She edged away from him slightly until she was curled against the wall, as far away as she could get from the dark lion.

Her frightened eyes met his as he rose and shook himself. He began to groom himself and smiled seductively in her direction. He inhaled the air that was filled with her scent due to poor circulation and his eyes partially glazed over. He prowled closer and crouched a few feet from her. She pressed herself closer to the rock wall, her breath quickening and her heart racing. She felt tears of fear of what was to come fill her eyes and glide down her face.

He laughed fondly. "You know, you're so much prettier when you're sad or cry." He clenched his toes, claws digging into the rock floor.

She whimpered. If he was in her human world he would be the abusive boyfriend that beat his girlfriend and got off on it. The sick bastard. She bit her lip to stop the tears and tried to steady her breathing.

Kodi padded over to her. "Get up." He ordered.

She looked up at him. "You said we wouldn't do anything yet."

"I changed my mind." He growled. "Now get up."

She remained pressed against the wall. He smiled evilly. "Alright, we do this the fun way."

He bit her neck, his fangs biting through her thick fur and drawing a little blood, and dragged her from the wall. His claw swatted her onto her stomach and he laid his heavy body on top of hers as she scrabbled to get away. She cried out and he purred at her vocalized pain. He dug his claws in her shoulders.

"Shush sweetie, it didn't have to hurt this bad if you'd do as you're told. But I think I like this better, but don't worry, you'll love the pleasure I can give you." He licked the teeth marks on her neck. His rough tongue cleaned the wound and brushed her fur in a soothing motion. She realized he was going to hurt her and sooth her only to repeat it all. She cried but bit her tongue so as not to egg him on to more pain. But he dug his claws in deeper causing her to cry out. "I can smell your tears, they're sweeter than any of the salty tears from any other lion I met."

He leaned down and licked her wet face and purred at her taste. He cleaned the claw marks and stroked her sides. He stood and swatted at her tail but she pressed it further against her. He growled and bit it. A warning. "I don't have much time before…" he started but was interrupted by a scratching sound on the boulder.

He glared at the lioness and struck her across the face with the back of his paw in anger. "I'll deal with you later."

He turned back to the entrance of the room as the boulder was slid aside and Jua bowed low.

"What is it?"

"Kodi, you present yourself to the Pridelands' inhabitants today. It's also the day your brother should be coming back with his sons." She replied with her head held high until she saw Nyota laying in the middle of the cave. "What's she doing here?"

"Jealous? You had your chance Jua but she's to be my queen." He smirked.

"I love someone else, Kodi, I just thought you'd choose a lioness from your pride in the Outlands…"

"You saw me pick her when we overtook Pride Rock. Why are you so surprised?" he growled.

Nyota cringed, half expecting his anger to be taken out on her.

"I thought you were just going to play with her for part of the night and pick an actual follower of yours." She growled back before storming into the main den. Kodi winked at her and closed the entrance with the large boulder.

Nyota waited until she heard his paw steps exit the den and pushed herself against the boulder. It shifted slightly but didn't budge after that. She tried for what felt like an hour or so until she flopped down exhausted. Her blue gaze found the small crumbling hoe in the ceiling and her hopes lifted. Why hadn't she thought of it before? She ran up to the hole and looked out at a vacant grassland before she began digging like a dog until she thought she could fit.

She smiled until she heard footsteps outside the den and the boulder being moved. She shoved herself through and raced into the grass and curved to circle Pride Rock towards the direction where Ahadi, Mufasa and Taka were supposed to be. She heard the angry roar of outrage and ran harder. She didn't want to be anywhere near Kodi right now. She ran until she grew tired and had to climb a tree to rest. She knew Kodi would be looking for her, following her scent trail she was in too much of a hurry to cover up. She felt even more tears stinging her eyes but she willed them away.

She saw a trio of lions making their way from the border. She rubbed her face and saw a large dusky gold and two lions wrestling with each other. They were all male. Her heart skipped a beat and she smiled as she jumped to meet the lions. They were back! Her breath caught in her throat as she saw them being surrounded by lionesses with Kodi walking behind them. He saw her and waved before she heard a low growl from that pale gold lion behind her. She snarled back but she too was outnumbered by lionesses who were emerging from the grass around them. She shouldn't have underestimated them. These lions were used to hunting and living where grass like this was sparse to none, of course they would be able to blend in.

Kodi circled his brother and nephews as Nyota was herded to join the group. "Hello, little brother, it's been a while." He growled with malice. His murderous gaze swept over the other males then rested on Nyota who cowered beside Taka. "And you! You've been very naughty in deed, I'll just have to punish you in our den later." He purred evilly.

Taka looked between the two and stepped in front of the blue-grey lioness with a low growl. His uncle laughed. "I see my nephew has similar interests in women." He sneered. "Take them to Pride Rock."

He turned and they were led back to Pride Rock where the other animals and lionesses had gathered. Nyota could see the look of complete despair as their king and princes were led up Pride Rock. Kodi stopped where he could see them all and turned to his brother.

"Ahadi, I could exile you. But I won't, your sons however will be given a choice whether to stay under my rule or to die with you." He snarled with a smile.

Nyota heard Uru's roar of defiance and saw the pained look on Ahadi's face. "Sons," he whispered while the lionesses were still roaring so Kodi wouldn't hear. "Join his pride."

"But father!" they both protested.

"No! Do as I say. You are the pride's last hope, just wait it out and take back the pride one day. I have faith in you." He looked to Mufasa and Taka, giving each brother a lick of affection as the lionesses were shushed.

"They will stay, I won't let you kill them." Ahadi declared.

Kodi grinned and charged Ahadi who met him but was knocked over by the stronger lion. He was shoved over the edge of the peak of Pride Rock to be met by the lionesses' hungry jaws below.

The king then turned to his shocked nephews and ordered them away before turning to the cringing lioness. Nyota glared at him with hatred and lunged at him but was stopped by the other lionesses. The Outlanders outnumbered the Pridelanders now. "Bring her to the remodeled cave in the den." he ordered. His voice was as stoic as his facial expression but laced with as much malice as his eyes shone with. She was roughly guided into the room and was struck again by Kodi when the boulder was back in place.

Her face hit the wall and she cried out as blood trickled down her cheek. She was dragged back to the center of the room and Kodi stood over her bruised body with a hungry looked on his face with teeth bared. "I should kill you for your disobedience you know. It would be easy, you aren't even that strong compared to me." He licked the shallow gash on her cheek and she felt her skin crawl. "But you're much more fun alive. Most lionesses don't play hard to get this hard with me. I like it and with your permanent sad eyes I've never been more attracted to a lioness."

She cringed as he began slowly licking her whole body. She tried not to notice but couldn't ignore him when he sniffed loudly and licked her area around her tail. She scooted along the floor but was stopped as he stepped on her tail.

"Please don't! I don't love you, I…I…I hate you!" she yelled. She was answered with another hard slap across her face.

"But I want you. You see the issue? I over rule whatever you feel and you'll be craving me when I'm through with you." He grinned as he flipped her over on her stomach. "Now don't struggle and it won't hurt at all." He purred in her ear as he mounted her, putting weight on her shoulders. "now, raise your hips or I draw blood."

She remained still.

"Raise them or I change my mind on your little male friends." He purred.

She slowly raised herself to him and immediately felt him slid inside her. She growled in pain as he brought himself in and out of her without giving her a chance to even get used to the feeling of him inside her. His thrusts were in his own rhythm, fast and hard. She screamed as he entered her further and leaned down to bite her neck and dug his claws into her shoulders.

When he'd finally stopped and dismounted he let her fall to the floor and he lay next to her and began to lick her damp fur. He cleaned the blood from her fur all over her body and nuzzled her affectionately.

"Now, you are my queen." He purred in her ear as she rubbed her eyes dry. She wished Winju were here. She wished Ahadi hadn't been thrown off the peak and eaten by Outlanders. She wished that she and Kivuli had been able to prevent this from happening. Kodi drew her against his underbelly on her side and rested his head on her neck. She laid her head on his arm since he had placed it directly under him and she felt his pleased purrs. She fell asleep to his purrs and the crying lionesses in the main den as they mourned their dead king.

Kivuli paced below Pride Rock with an infuriated scowl on his face, his red eyes blazing in anger. He hadn't been able to protect Nyota when Kodi had taken her to his den last night and he hadn't been able to find her when word got around of her to escape and then again when she was claimed by the enraged king. Mufasa and Taka had joined him after their father's murder but hadn't said much since the spectacle. He was overcome with helplessness that he banged his head against a boulder just to be sure what he was seeing was true. He had lost everything, his brother, Nyota, and now the Lion King himself. He couldn't possibly imagine how it could get much worse but didn't dare voice it.

He finally flopped down next to Mufasa who was comforting a crying Sarabi. He didn't know what to do. He just couldn't help anyone he cared about. Taka was still crying too. It was obvious that he was upset about their whole situation too although he wasn't so sure if he even deserved to think he ever had a chance with her. He growled at the former prince's nerve and half stood. Taka looked over at the lion and growled back.

"You got something to say? Say it, don't growl there all day!" he lashed out.

Kivuli roared his challenge. "I'll say it alright! You are pathetic! Yeah, is said it. How could you think you had a chance with Nyota and maybe you did, maybe you didn't but you couldn't even protect her as yours from your uncle if she was!" he snarled as he stood at his full height.

Taka crouched low. "Oh, that makes me pathetic? Forgive me for stating the obvious but you didn't do anything at all last time I saw!" he flexed his claws in the dirt and prepared to attack. "You're just as pathetic as I am if not more. After all, you let your own brother die."

Kivuli roared, losing it at the mention of his brother. "He told me to let go! It was his choice, not mine."

"Or is that just what you've told yourself?" the prince dodged the other lion's infuriated swipe at his face and took a swipe at the black lion's hind leg before springing out of range once again. He had developed a muscular build but was still slim and lithe, easily able to dodge the other's broad swings.

Mufasa stepped between the two and snarled in warning. "You two can shred each other all day if you'd like, or we can figure out how to take back the throne. It's what dad wanted, it's why he told us to live! If you hadn't forgotten Taka." He glared at his twin.

Taka sneered at his brother. "I would do anything to get Uncle from the throne and away from Nyota for good. Especially since Father told us to. But Uncle really doesn't like you, you resemble too much of Father like always. But I was once like him. When I was a cub he once told me that I needed to kill you while we were young before you got older and left me to always live in your shadow like he lived in Father's."

Mufasa gasped at what Taka had just said. "He really said that back then? How could he?" a tear fell down his cheek to be followed by others. He hastily rubbed his face with his paw but gave up as they ran through his toes.

"Yes. He was telling me how my love for you weakened me and I would end up like him, only he decided he'd had enough of living in Father's shadow and tried to reclaim Mother, leading to his exile. He trusts me, he might still think we're cut from the same cloth, that we are still in the same place as future kings like we were. He doesn't know how Father had reconsidered thanks to Nyota or that the decision wasn't finalized yet. I can trick him we just need a plan." He told the small group.

Sarafina stepped up beside Mufasa. "Maybe we could create a distraction or something, like to draw him away from those mangy Outlanders and one of you could challenge him."

Sarabi stood and agreed. "I'll spread the word to Uru and Mother, we can all tell the other lionesses while you guys devise a plan that could work. We'll relay information as we get it so they'll know what's going on too."

Sarafina nodded at her sister and they sprinted off to tell the rest of their pride the news. Kivuli looked at the twin princes and tensed his muscles in jealousy to hide his feelings. If Winju were still here would they have been able to work together like that against this new threat? He figured they would but there was no telling, especially now. He looked up at the moon and sky full of stars and felt a single tear glide down his cheek.

_Just hold on a little longer, Nyota. We're going to get you outta there. I promise._

_**Please review! I'd love to know what ya think =3**_


	9. Ghosts

**Chapter Nine: Ghosts**

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Winju stretched as he got up and looked at the grey, dawn sky. Jua was just coming down from the main den with an irritated frown on her face. She perked up when she saw him, though and bounced over to him. Zura grumbled as she just nearly stepped on his outstretched paws and turned away in his sleep.

"Good morning Winju!"

"Morning." Winju replied as he sat and licked his paw clean and rubbed his face.

"So, Kodi wants me to go with his new wife and keep her company while he's busy with Moja and Neema with kingly duties." She grinned seductively at the male. "Hey! Maybe you could join me and keep me from slashing her face."

He huffed. "I thought you didn't like Kodi anymore, why would you want to slash his new mate's face?" he looked down at her quizzically.

The golden lioness giggled behind her claws. "Why Winju, just because I don't like the old bag doesn't mean I approve of just any lioness taking a place beside him as leader of our pride. He should have taken one of the Outlanders, the other Outlanders would at least have more respect for us that way instead they probably think us soft for keeping one of them in power." She licked her claws and winked at him.

Winju, however, wasn't paying attention to her flirtatious attitude. "Honestly, I don't think she's actually one of them. She didn't sound like the others anyway." He stood and walked down to the waterhole.

Jua followed him and mused aloud. "You know, I know what you mean. She actually sounds a little like you…" she studied the male as they lapped up water. Could he be from where Kodi's mate was from? She shrugged and started toward the base of Pride Rock where Kodi and Moja were to hand off the new queen. She purred happily when the white lion plodded after her. "So you are coming along? Yay!"

Winju nodded. "Sure, why not? I haven't actually seen her so I might as well meet her. Have you seen Azure around? I think I'll spar with him today or go hunting."

Jua rolled her eyes at the mention of the other male. Those two had a serious bromance. "Why not spend the day with me?" she asked hopefully as she flicked her tail along his side.

His golden eyes darkened in thought of the idea. "Maybe, until I find Azure I guess." He smiled as she smiled up at him with joy filled indigo eyes.

They spotted the tan form of Neema as he swiftly and quietly circled his father and the king. His dark gold mane popped up as he heard their paw steps and his light green eyes scanned the two before nodding them ahead. He smiled at Jua as she passed but she just stared adoringly at Winju beside her.

Jua looked from the lion beside her to bow to the leaders of the pride. Moja glanced down at her and scoffed. "Bout time you showed up, we have to make it to the point of interest and back by night fall Jua. Time is of the essence."

Jua blushed and shifted her weight from paw to paw. Winju looked up at the elderly lion and then over at where the king was nudging his queen before he left. He narrowed his eyes but couldn't make anything out in the pale light.

Nyota leaned away from Kodi as he licked her neck and side, pawing at her. She growled slightly and winced when his teeth nipped a little too hard on her neck. "Now, now my queen, I'll return soon enough to you."

She shivered and bared her teeth. "Don't mine me, please, take your time." She strained in a low tone.

"If I didn't know any better," he purred, "I'd say you didn't want me around. But you can't mean that, can you?" his claws threatened to rip her ear from her skull. She hastily shook her head and managed to lick his cheek in an affectionate manner although she wanted to hurl her last night's antelope. "Much better."

He turned and took in the two new members of their group. "Ah, Jua's here with that other lion. I might as well get going, take care while I'm gone. If anything goes wrong, Moja's mate will handle things." Then he motioned to Moja and they loped off into the dark shadows.

Nyota padded up to where Jua and Neema stood with her head bowed. She looked up and gasped. The other lion Kodi had mentioned was none other than Winju! She whispered in shock, "You're dead!"

Winju started at the lioness. Something about her felt uncanny and familiar, she looked like a darker feminine Azure. "Excuse me? Your highness, what did you say?"

Her eyes widened in hurt. "You don't recognize me? Winju…"

"How do you know my name, we haven't met before…" he took a step back, she was obviously crazy. Maybe that was why Kodi chose her as a mate, he always liked to be in control and with Moja's mate leading the lionesses his mate wouldn't need to do much.

"Of course we have! We came to this pride together, with your twin brother!" Nyota pressed, stepping closer.

"I have a twin brother?" he asked unbelievingly.

"Kivuli, you came here together to the savanna and met me. Don't you remember?" her eyes were misting over again in despair that he didn't remember them. "You fell into the stampede, we saw you die! How are you alive?"

Anger flared in the young lion. "If you were my friends, and my brother, why did you leave me?"

"We saw you broken and bloody…you weren't moving!"

Winju stepped closer, snarling down at the now cowering lioness. "I was fine when I woke up! Alone and confused."

Jua stepped forward, barring her teeth at the dark blue-grey lioness. "How dare you talk to Winju this way! Lies are all you can say, isn't it? And even if they weren't, I found Winju alone in the Gorge in evening perfectly fine but without anyone to help him. If you ever were his friend, you don't deserve to be now."

Nyota roared through her tears at the bold lioness and swatted her down. "Don't tell me I'm not a good friend! We looked for his body and that night he was gone. We thought hyena's had eaten your body, Kivuli even killed the ones he smelled had passed through there." She told Winju with hopeful eyes. "He blames himself for your death and hasn't been the same since the incident. Please, believe me! For his sake if not mine."

Jua growled as she raised a paw to her aching head where the blue-grey lioness had struck her. "You bitch!" she prepared to strike back when Neema placed a paw on her shoulder.

"Jua, she is Kodi's mate! Restrain yourself." He growled.

Winju looked between the two lionesses before resting his eyes on Nyota. "Maybe he should blame himself for his brother's death. I honestly think you have me confused with another lion." Then he stalked off a little ways and shook himself. "Please drop the matter, I don't want you nagging me when I have to watch you with Jua and Neema."

Nyota scowled but didn't say anything else. She lashed her tail irritably and started running in the direction she knew the one person who could settle their dispute was. The other three followed until she stopped at a large tree and began climbing it. She found the old baboon messing with his tortoise shell and humming an odd tune.

"Rafiki! I need your help." She called. The baboon looked up at her and smiled with a gleam in his eyes.

"I'm sure you do! Ha ha ha, what is it I can help you with now?"

She pointed down below them at the other three and sighed. "Winju's down there but he doesn't recognize me."

"Well, did you not explain who you were before?"

"He doesn't believe me! I just tried telling him how he was supposed to be dead from the Gorge incident but…"

"Wait." He stopped her. "You didn't find him in the Gorge a few months ago? Hmmm, that explains it. You were supposed to return to the Gorge that day and find him. That's the reason I revived him."

Nyota slapped her forehead with her paw and let out an aggravated growl. "We went back but someone else got to him first! Jua…" she glared down at the dark gold lioness who was busy swishing her tail around Winju now, eyes half closed and her fur way to close to his. "Rafiki, please come explain it to him, he has to know!"

She leapt down from her branch and the old monkey followed. She swatted an angry Jua away from Winju and sat beside him. "Rafiki's going to explain what happened Winju."

The white lion narrowed his eyes at her but turned to listen to the monkey. "Are you now?"

"You are Winju, you are the brother of Kivuli and Nyota is your friend. You all came to the Pridelands together, I brought you here myself. You died in the Gorge but I brought you back to life." Rafiki informed him.

Winju's mouth dropped open and he turned back to the lioness smiling up at him sadly beside him. Her eyes shining like stars in their sadness. "Your eyes, I remember, your name sake." He grinned when the memories flooded back into his head and let out a whoop of excitement. "I remember! I remember…"

Nyota stood and smiled and rubbed her head against her friend. "I missed you so much! I hated your brother at first, but I never forgave myself for taking Taka down to the Gorge to train in the first place. If we hadn't gone then that stampede wouldn't have trapped us on that tiny ledge. But you did save us, you heard the stampede and spotted the only ledge that we could safely reach. You saved us and now you're back as well." She purred.

He nuzzled her back and smiled at Rafiki. "Thank you, but why are we here again?"

"To save the Pridelands from Kodi, I already took care of Taka's threat to the future Simba. We should go back to Pride Rock and tell the others that you're alive. Kivuli will be so relieved!" Nyota answered.

Jua growled from her seated position by Neema who looked on with indifference. The tan lion looked down at the angry lioness. "Come now Jua, you honestly didn't believe that he wouldn't remember who he really was, did you? Besides, now he's happy again. I was getting tired of his constant moping about who he was or could've been."

Jua sneered up at him. "Oh shut up, Neema! I want to be the one to make him happy like that! You wouldn't understand…" she followed the other two who had started back to Pride Rock at a run.

Neema sighed. "More so than you think." He then raced after the others leaving a cackling mad baboon to dance around his tree with his rattling stick.

Mufasa and Taka sprawled on the ledge outside the main den of Pride Rock while Kivuli paced. They couldn't do much with the five Outlander lionesses that followed them constantly. Sarabi and Sarafina sat beside the males and cringed as the lioness with red eyes that was normally seen with the one-eyed Moja padded up to them with her young daughter behind her. She sat in front of the former princes and smiled warmly at them.

"Hello boys. My name is Kazuri and this is my daughter Zira. She also has a twin sister, Penda who is playing with her friends right now. Zira needs to make friends so I hope you will accept her." She purred.

Mufasa blinked up at the beautiful lioness. Her long and pointy nose seemed outlandish but her lanky frame and ruby colored eyes softened her features to a prettiness her daughter mirrored although her embarrassed frown pulled her features to a less pretty state. Taka turned away and grumbled before standing and going to sit with Sarafina instead. Zira frowned further when she saw the pretty prince reject her. Kazuri smiled down at her and licked her ear comfortingly.

"Play nice my sweet Zira, I want you to be friends with this nice young lions." Then she padded off to a group of lionesses to form the day's hunting party.

Zira smiled feebly at the others. Sarafina and Taka whispered to themselves where no one else could hear while Sarabi went over to sit by Mufasa who smiled welcomingly at her. "Hi…" she waved her paw at him.

He smiled. "Hey, Zira. That's an interesting name." he sat up and stretched his toes.

"So you guys are princes huh? I mean, were princes…sorry about that. Kodi kinda took over that didn't he." She blushed nervously.

Taka snarled at her. "He had now right marching back in here like that! We should have been preparing for the competition for future king any day now, not laying around letting him rule over everything." He sat down with a lash of his tail and dug his claws into the rock, gauging the surface.

Zira smiled over at him and purred in agreement, "Definitely, he doesn't deserve your kingdom. I bet you would've won the competition. What are your names by the way?"

Mufasa introduced them. "I'm Mufasa, that's my brother Taka and Sarafina. This is Sarabi and that over there pacing is Kivuli." He pointed to them each in turn.

Kivuli looked over at them and stopped pacing. He thought for a moment on how they would pull off a plan to get rid of Kodi and Moja and his eyes fell on Zira. He knew from the movies back home she was obsessively in love with Taka aka Scar that she would do anything for his sake. And she'd do anything to be in power, to be queen. He walked over with a grin and sat by the young lioness.

"Hello Zira, you've met Taka haven't you?"

She nodded, looking sideways at the dark prince in question and blushing. "Yeah…"

"Then you no doubt know about our present situation with Kodi. If Taka is to fulfill his dream of becoming king his uncle must be removed from the equation. The only problem is that we're always being followed by Outlanders. Maybe if you can get a few recruits, quietly of course, to help us over throw him we can see Taka or Mufasa happily as king. Can you do that Zira? I'm sure Taka would be _very_ thankful."

"I'll see what I can do, I'll ask Penda if she can help out too, she doesn't like Kodi that much either." She waved at the princes. Mufasa waved back as did Sarabi as the lanky lioness raced off to find her sister.

Taka stood and stomped over to the black lion. "What were you talking to _her_ about?" he sneered.

"She's going to help us get rid of Kodi. Now all we need is for you to get closer to your uncle, well, you or Mufasa. We need one of you in his good graces. When he gets back around morning one of you needs to win him over." Kivuli explained dryly.

Taka growled and went back to sit in a crack in one of the rocks. Mufasa and Sarabi went to their crevice and Sarafina went to the other crevice they were allowed with Kivuli. They curled up against the cold and Sarafina closed her eyes as she nuzzled into Kivuli's fur. He positioned himself in the face of the crevice so the lionesses scrutinizing and untrusting eyes weren't on the young lioness and the cold wind was blocked by his body. Normally he slept with Sarafina and Taka in this larger crevice but apparently Taka was in a mood. He would let the young lion figure things out for himself and not push too much on him now. He just wished that Zira would pull through and that they could put the plan into action.

Azure sat atop the highest peak of Pride Rock and scanned the area. In the distance he saw his queen and Jua, Neema and Winju racing back to Pride Rock under the evening sun. He climbed down to meet them. He hadn't actually met his queen and he had missed Winju all day. When the young lion had woken up that morning he had been sent to patrol by Moja and had just now gotten back. He trotted up to the approaching party and waved his tail in the air at Winju. "Winju! I was on patrol all day, what were you up to?"

Winju ran up to him and tackled him playfully. "I wondered where you were! And I found out who I was today! The old monkey told me. Turns out I know Nyota, our queen." He bragged once he was standing over a pinned Azure.

The pale grey lion rolled back onto his paws and looked up at the lioness standing before him. She certainly was beautiful. Her clear icy blue eyes shone with happiness and her neck and head fur was unusual in length. She was exotic! He jumped up from under Winju and padded over to her to bow with a paw extended before him. "Your Majesty," he purred. "It is an honor to finally meet you."

He peeked up at her to find her big smile had receded to a nervous frown. "Is something wrong?" he asked as he sat up, worried he had offended her in some way.

"You're Azure, right? Winju's new friend?" she asked instead.

He nodded. "We aren't really new friends, I mean, he joined our pride a good few months ago and all…"

Winju stepped up to stand beside her. "She means that she and I were friends before I joined you guys. They beat themselves up when I died and didn't know I was brought back by that monkey. They came back to where Jua found me and thought hyenas ate me! Hey, where's Kivuli?"

"Kivuli?" Azure asked confused. "Who…?"

"The black lion who was with the princes." Winju explained with a smile. "He's my twin brother."

"Oh…" Azure's face fell as he pointed to where the small outer caves along Pride Rock were. "He's over there with them and those two Pridelander lionesses." He watched as the queen and Winju raced over to their friends. He felt depressed. He had thought that he and Winju had become as close as brothers over the past couple of months. He padded over to where they had run off and motioned for the Outlander lionesses to take a break. "I'll watch them for a while, Winju and I got it."

The older of the group smiled down at him with shining dark green eyes and cream fur. She didn't look like an Outlander. "Be careful Azure, I think they might be planning something."

"They wouldn't dare oppose Kodi." He stated confidently.

"By the looks of it, Winju knows them from before. Maybe they won't be so weak with him in their numbers. Many of our number look up to him instead of Kodi and Moja, he could sway numbers."

"What do you want of me Ellie?" he snapped, still irritated at how Winju had basically dissed him for those Pridelanders.

She smiled, her short muzzle twisting in a sinister grin. He was vaguely reminded of why she was exiled from her old pride down in the Southern lands, she had tricked the king that his queen was cheating on him and that his son was not his. She drove him to kill them both to lose favor with the pride so that her mate Aja could claim the throne. He had been killed and she had begged for mercy and had been exiled for her lack of loyalty to her mate and her pride. He took a step back. "Just to keep an eye on them and an open ear around them." She padded away with the other lionesses and hummed a tune he didn't recognize.

Azure shivered and turned his dark blue eyes back to where he could see Winju poking a mass of black fur. He crept closer and pressed himself into a crack to conceal himself in the pale grey light of twilight.

Winju prodded his brother's back for the umpteenth time and finally leaned down to blow into his ear. His brother whipped around, claws missing Winju's nose by a few centimeters as he swatted at the annoyance. His garnet red eyes snapped open and he flipped out when he saw Winju smiling down at him.

"Whoa! Wha…?" he twisted around and pushed himself away from the ghostly white lion who was…chuckling? Did ghosts chuckle? Mufasa didn't chuckle to Simba in the movie. "Winju? Is that really you? But you're dead…" he shook away the thought of how much he sounded like Scar right now.

"Kivuli, it's me, I wasn't eaten by hyenas. Rafiki revived me and Jua found me before you guys were able to. If it wasn't for her you would have found me with amnesia in the Gorge." He patted his brother's shoulder with a paw and laughed.

Kivuli looked past him at Nyota. She was smiling with relief and pure joy that their friend had been found. She nudged the dark lion. "I knew how much you beat yourself up over his 'death', when I saw him I could hardly believe it either. But now he's back with us and you don't have to hate yourself any longer."

Kivuli rubbed his head against hers and grinned up at his twin. "I'm so happy your well, Winju. I didn't know how I was going to remain here without you. Well, except to get Nyota to safety." His red eyes softened as he looked down at her lovingly.

"What do you mean? Isn't she safe in the Pridelands?" Winju asked with a nervous laugh.

Kivuli looked down at the dark blue-grey lioness questioningly. "Do you want to tell him? It is your business and all."

She turned away and pressed her tail tightly against her, sitting so that it was clamped around her body. Her icy gaze was clouded with worry. Winju stepped towards her and lowered his head to look into her eyes. "Ny, what is it?"

A whimper escaped her trembling lips as the memories of the past few nights and encounters with her 'mate' surfaced fresh in her mind. It hadn't been going on for a long time of course but she didn't want it to continue another night, and he would be returning that morning, she should be sleeping peacefully while she could if she couldn't escape. "Kodi… he's… well you already know he took me as his queen." She snapped.

Winju jumped back and looked incredulously at his brother who looked at their friend in sympathy that masked the burning hatred for the king. "Wait… oh…" it dawned on him slowly exactly what she was implying. "He…?"

"He forced himself on me in a secluded den and when I resisted he beat me. He says I'm prettier when I'm sad so he takes pleasure in it more than he normally does. Winju, he killed Ahadi and almost killed Mufasa and Taka, he doesn't deserve to be king as much as Zazu." She growled, tears leaking from her eyes. She shook them from her face and rubbed her eyes with her paw roughly. She didn't want to look like she had been crying when he came for her in the near hours. She stalked over to where Taka had curled and nosed him. He peered up at her with surprise in his cloudy green eyes before stepping out so they could curl in the crevice together. She nuzzled her nose into his black mane and he placed his head protectively over hers and they both closed their eyes.

Kivuli returned to where he had left Sarafina and lay beside the pale gold lioness. He looked back up at Winju. "Brother, you need to help us get rid of him so Mufasa can assume his rightful place as king with Sarabi. Will you? If not for the princes then for me and Nyota, for all of us, so we can go home? Remember our little cousin? He probably misses us a lot right now."

Winju looked down at his paws and swished his tail uncertainly. "I'm still just getting my memories back, Ki. I'll have to think about it, his is the only pride I've known to memory. They took me in as family when I had no idea who I was besides my name, I can't just turn on them."

"Because they're 'family'? what about your real family? Huh? What about me, mom and dad, don't we matter?" he snarled.

The white lion frowned down at his brother and sneered down his nose at him. "Maybe," he growled slowly, "It would be best if I and the lion who died in the Gorge remained different lions for now."

Kivuli gaped up at his own flesh and blood as the other lion basically denounced him and their family. "Maybe it is." He seethed with anger, claws extending into the rock underneath him. "Or maybe, you should have remained dead!" he nearly roared.

The white lion looked shocked for a moment before glaring at his brother and turning away with a lash of his tail and stalking off into the night. He marched right past a shocked Azure and didn't stop until he reached the small den in the back of Pride Rock. It was vacant currently and he flopped down in the middle of it letting the cold stone cool his heated mood. If his own brother wouldn't accept the fact that he had made friends of the Outlanders and thought him better off dead then he would be dead to the dark lion for now on. As he thought the words he wished they had never been spoken in the first place as he felt the loss of someone he could only vaguely remember. Why did he feel so strongly for the lion if he could hardly remember him? He didn't even know if they had been close as brothers, they could've fought a lot and hated each other no matter how hard he had taken Winju's death. Then Winju cried, stifling his loud sobs poorly in his broad paws. Azure would never have said such hurtful words to him. He looked up as he heard claws on stone and looked over his shoulder as a light grey form entered the den. The black maned lion smiled feebly down at him and lay down beside his friend.

"I heard loud voices from where you went with the queen, is everything okay?"

Winju glared down at his soaked paws, ashamed that he had been seen crying even though he thought he'd found a spot where no one went. "He is no brother of mine." He managed between clenched teeth.

Azure rubbed his head comfortingly against his friend's shoulder and inwardly shouted with joy. He knew it was selfish of him but he didn't like the thought of Winju leaving him for old friends, even if one of them was the queen. "It's alright, hey, you know what? I kinda consider us brothers, we're close enough to be and I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind having another son." He smiled at his friend.

Winju thought about it for a moment and nodded. "We are close like brother's aren't we?" he smiled weakly and laid his head down on his fore paws as his friend beside him did the same, no, he thought, as his brother did the same.

Taka drifted back to sleep with Nyota beside him, her warmth comforting. He had missed seeing her as she was almost always with his uncle, unhappily he might add. As he slept he was started awake but found he wasn't in the Pridelands or anywhere familiar at that. He was laying alone in a washed out field of tall yellow grass. He stood cautiously and took a step forward, scanning the area but finding he was truly alone.

"Hello?" he called out, his glowing green eyes widening in growing fear. "Is anyone else here?"

He turned as the wind picked up and gasped as Ahadi walked down an invisible slope from the rolling clouds above. He was like a faded version of himself from his life although his pelt and mane blew about him like clouds and fog. Taka crouched low in fear as the mighty lion stood proudly before him.

"Father?"

The clouded form nodded. "Taka, you must deceive my brother and save the Pridelands. He will quench the lands of the water and greenery and drive the herds away with his pride. They must be exiled if not converted."

"How can I do that? I'm not as strong as Mufasa, you were going to pick him as king anyway." Taka seethed.

Ahadi sighed remorsefully. "Taka, it was true that he would have made a better king in the past, but you had made great progress since the new comers arrived. You have trained in both mind and body and principle. You have become stronger than your brother possibly ever could due to your training with Nyota and your already sharp cunning. You have what it takes to challenge Kodi. If I remember correctly, you wanted to be king very much?" he cocked his head ever so slightly.

Taka considered this and finally shook his head. "Have you gone to Mufasa yet and asked him?"

Ahadi shook his head. "Your brother wouldn't be able to trick my brother, he is much like you in mind and tactic."

Taka smiled at this, he wasn't second for once or an asset, he was who his father had chosen. "Fine, I'll do it. For the pride, they don't deserve a cruel ruler."

Ahadi smiled down at his son and reached down to nuzzle him affectionately. Taka pressed his face into his father's, returning the affection. He looked down at him, he was much like him in build mirroring his long pointed nose and vivid green eyes and jet black mane, although he took on Uru's pelt color and bright mind. He would make a great king if he survived his brother Kodi. But he strongly believed that Taka could do it, Kodi had always held strong affection for him as a cub since he saw that they were in the same spot. Though, just like Taka had done, he had trained himself to be the stronger lion than his brother. The former king only hoped that Taka wouldn't get consumed by the jealousy and hatred his brother had, he couldn't bear for his son to be lost forever in that darkness although he knew in this afterlife realm he was in that he would have if Nyota, Kivuli and Winju had never arrived. He was saddened by the fate his son just barely missed. As he let Taka drift back into sleep at his paws he leaned down to lick his forehead. While Mufasa had shown promise, Taka had always been his favorite, whenever he laid eyes on the lion he was reminded of when he first met Uru and of his brother when they were younger and had a closer bond. Taka was as sweet and kind as his mother and as strong willed and cunning as his brother. He padded away to another part of the realm and lay down beside another sleeping form of light brown. He laid his head possessively over the lionesses neck and smiled as she paused in her nightly sobs once more as he visited his queen in her slumber for the second night. He would never leave his mate and sons, never.

_**Sorry it took so long to post, just a bit of writers block and college shenanigans. Just wanted to take a spin on the father/son relationship to show how much Ahadi loved his son and valued the strengths of both his sons. Please leave a review, I haven't received many and it would really help if I could get feedback on how the story sits with y'all. Anyway, off to bed and catch ya in the next post! ^^**_


	10. Our Little Secret

**Chapter Ten: Our Little Secret**

_**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far ^^**_

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Nyota woke to the growling of the lionesses around her and peeked over Taka's back to shrink behind it in fear. Kodi was padding regally up Pride Rock with half-lidded eyes and a slight frown. She shivered, waking Taka in the process.

"Nyota? What's wrong?" he mumbled sleepily, his eyes foggy with the remnants of his dream.

"Your uncle's back…" she whispered. He twisted in place and the sight of the dark lion now standing proud over-looking the Pridelands from the jutting ledge of Pride Rock jolting him from his rest. "Taka, what are we going to do? Where did Winju go? Do you see him?"

Taka scanned the area and upon seeing a lone Kivuli in his little crag with Sarafina his only company he frowned. "He's not here." Nyota sank further into their cramped space. He pitied her. "Ny, you'll have to face him sooner or later and it would be better if you did it now. You know how he hates when you hide, I don't want to see him punish you." At her hesitation he nuzzled her gently. "You just have to hold on a little longer, I have a plan but you must appear loyal only to him, no matter what. Do you understand? This little exchange can't even make it to the ears of my brother or the others it'll be…"

Nyota interrupted him, "Out little secret." She smiled as she repeated the lines he had used on Simba in the Gorge when his glorious conniving mind was already at work and progress with a plan. "Okay, I trust you." She nuzzled him slightly and padded around him and bounded up to where Kodi stood. She bowed her head and walked into a nuzzle. She felt his body jerk in surprise then felt his purrs as she rubbed her body under his neck and along his muscular body. He wasn't unattractive in physic, it was just what got him off and his whole creepy attitude and cold blood that made her want to run and not in a let's play it rough kind of way. She grinned up at him as he licked her cheek and her neck in a long, slow stroke.

"You seem rather playful all of a sudden, what brought this on?" he asked rather suspiciously although his jade eyes fogged over with lust.

She purred up at him, "Can't a Queen love her King? After all, what would make me want to go against you in anyway if that's where you're headed with this. You could easily kill me if you wanted and I prefer living. Do you want me to remain cold and distant?" she turned slightly as if to go but her ice blue eyes kept his green in a knowing manner. He wouldn't say no when it was much easier when the prey walked right up to the predator.

"Why don't we take a walk?" she kept her shiver to herself and smiled warmly up at him as she followed. He paused as Taka slowly walked up to them and bowed.

"Uncle, when you are available I'd like to talk with you about my allegiances within the Pride and the matter of my father and mother." his cold green eyes stared into his uncle's matching pair unwavering and determined. The Lion King nodded.

"Of course, anything to get on better terms with my favorite nephew." He smiled, distracted by Nyota as she padded a few steps ahead, waving her tail so he caught her scent she was still emitting of her heat. "Later… now I have to… go for a walk." He returned to leading Nyota back around Pride Rock into the lush grasses.

"Where are we headed, my lord?" she paused as she added the title for good measure. He purred at the submission.

"A little waterfall I know of, no one else goes there." He murmured. Nyota couldn't help but shiver this time as it was obvious what he planned on doing. It wasn't like she didn't know what she had been leading him to do, but could she stand it? Would she? She shook her head. For Taka, Mufasa, Winju and Kivuli, the Pridelanders, hell even Azure, she _had_ to. She forced a grin and looked sideways at him and noticed he hadn't stopped looking at her. He had to have noticed the shiver. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing. She called on her flirting skills from her life as a human, "Mmm, what will we do with all the quiet?"

"It won't be for long." He smirked.

She shuddered again and smiled wider. "And pray tell why that would be, my lord, what ever will we be doing to disturb the calm?" she winked in what she hoped was seductively and apparently it was.

He pressed his shoulder against her's as they walked to create a friction between them. "Oh, my sweet, many manners of things. But it's overall a surprise, but you'll enjoy it as much as I will." He replied smugly.

Nyota wanted to gag and roll her eyes. His cockiness was rolling off him in waves of testosterone and she had to bite her tongue. She wanted to tell him she found what he did to her degrading and disgusting although she didn't hate sex it was just his sex. He was wrong when he had predicted she would be craving more when he was through that first night, _so wrong_, and wrong now in that she'd enjoy it as much as he would. She wouldn't enjoy it at _all_! But she remembered why she was doing this and figured she could pretend to enjoy it, how hard could it be? Give a moan every now and then, a growl and a purr here and there, a little love bite. Of course she'd be bleeding herself throughout and after the ordeal, she was just happy she wasn't ruined from his rough ride of her that first time and frowned at how many he might have ruined or broken. She narrowed her eyes slightly and felt a growl rumble from her chest, luckily Kodi passed it off as a growl of anticipation of his 'pleasuring her' in the near future but honestly she wanted to rip his throat out. In her world he would have no doubt have been a rapist and likely serial killer. He took pleasure in seeing others forced into his submission and in pain. She felt like she was going to be sick.

All too soon they stopped in a secluded area around the top of the waterfall and a short distance away she could see another that spilled down in a white mist to a calm pool at their feet. The place was beautiful, even with Kodi's presence tainting the scenery. It actually made him seem like less of a threat, like a grown Taka, not a grown Scar. As she was entranced by the scenery, Kodi circled her and pounced on top of her but it was playful, not sexual. She felt his teeth nip at her ear and she had to giggle, it just tickled so much.

"What are you doing?" she asked rather surprised.

"Courting you, true you are already marked as mine but a little play won't hurt the sex my sweet." He chuckled as he nibbled at her shoulder. She smirked down at him and sprang away from his paws to bounce to a stop by the water and lean down to take a drink, her half closed eyes peering at him as she drank and rose from the water. He stared blankly until he crouched in a pouncing position and sprang after her. She bolted with a small burst of laughter and leapt atop a boulder and behind the large upper waterfall. Kodi was on her tail and paced around the little cave behind the curtain of water. It was a very secluded spot but it was too beautiful for him to take her here she thought as she remembered she hated him, no matter how much he looked like Taka. She glanced at the other side of the waterfall and back at him. Before he could stop her she bounded from the cave and back down to the pool and race down to the lower falls.

She led him in circles across the pool and through the greenery until they were both panting. Finally she paused as she hid behind an outcropping of rocks and buses and tall ferns and caught her breath. She scanned the area for the dark king and smiled when he was nowhere to be seen. Probably still trying to discern which trail of hers was the most recent and would lead to her. Her muscles relaxed and she was about to close her eyes when a low growl sounded behind her. She looked up to see Kodi perched on the boulder behind her, smiled down at her. His paws were crossed and draped over the edge of the rock and his eyebrow was raised. _How long had he been laying there?_ She thought with a frown.

"Thought you could lose me so easily, did you?" he laughed dryly. "Of course you didn't, you want this as much as I do." He purred as he jumped down and beckoned her to approach him.

Not seeing much other choice, Nyota stood and padded over to him slowly. He circled her again and then rubbed his head along her body and she mirrored him for the Pridelander's sake and then he mounted her, his paws gently applying pressure to her shoulders, forcing her upper body to the ground.

Fear gripped her belly as he licked her back and her tail. His long, warm tongue glided across her flank and she winced inwardly. When was he going to just stick her and get it over with? She felt him lean down to whisper in her ear.

"This time, we start slow, now that we are both willing." He licked her ear and then shifted on top of her.

She gasped slightly as he entered her, his hardness alien to her despite it not being their first time. He let her body get used to his feel this time around and rocked slowly against her. A throaty purr escaped his lips and he retracted and thrust again, never breaking contact, not allowing her body to slam the door in his face. It was like sticking a foot in the door way and no matter how much she wanted to remove it, she couldn't budge it. She growled and hoped it passed as a pleased growl, she wasn't even planning on telling him to his face it was a good feeling.

Kivuli had watched the pair as they made their way through the trees and shrubbery but didn't care to follow them. He could still smell Nyota's spicy scent of her heat and Kodi's husky if not somewhat sour tang of arousal. He was actually surprised he hadn't jumped the lioness as soon as they made the cover of the greenery. Sneering to himself he paced along the tree line, thoughts of what they were likely doing at that moment conjured in his head, not at all pleasant. Ruby red turned to blood red as his eyes mirrored his inner anger and hatred for the dark king. His claws unsheathed and dug into the loamy soil easily. He needed something more solid to sink them into, the Lion King himself would fit the description just fine but he didn't want to be banished from the pride or worse and more likely, get served the same fate as Ahadi to the Outlander lionesses. He needed a distraction.

Something bobbed above the tall grass, drawing his attention. _Distraction duly noted_, he thought to himself, somewhat relieved he wasn't going through with his first plan for the day while also regretting not doing so. It was a cream colored lioness with a pointed nose but not in an unattractive way, she wasn't lanky and skinny but resembled Zira, especially her red eyes. Kivuli padded closer and noticed she was smiling at him. Her eyes weren't dark lidded like Zira's either but she was otherwise very similar.

"Hi." She smiled.

"Hello." He frowned. "Who are you?"

"Penda."

So this was Zira's twin, interesting. "You're Zira's sister? Did she come and talk to you?"

Penda stared at him before giggling. "Why yes, she did. You must be Kivuli, she told me a little about all of you. It's good she's been able to make new friends."

"Did you spread the word like we asked you both to?" he asked urgently. He needed to know their progress, any extra second was one with Kodi panting over Nyota and she didn't deserve to endure that any longer than necessary.

"Of course. We have a third of the Outlanders but not the strongest ones. They follow that white lion Winju and who could blame them. He's exotic where everyone's tired of Moja and Kodi and Neema has faded on the exotic scale. If we got Winju to help recruit it would definitely help, until then we'd be at a huge disadvantage. Some of our numbers might turn sides in the mix if they see their friends or family on Kodi's side." She informed.

Kivuli snarled his frustration. He doubted that would be happening anytime soon after their sibling quarrel last night.

"Is something the matter, Kivuli?" Penda asked in that silky tone of hers she got from her mother.

The black lion looked up and shook his head to clear it. "It's just, Winju and I aren't exactly on the best of terms right now."

"Why not? He had been so depressed when he didn't know his past. I figured with the current events he would be ecstatic."

"He has grown attached to the Outlanders. No offense to you." He hurriedly explained as she laughed in a lilting way that made him question if she was really Zira's twin.

"Oh! I detest them myself, except of course Azure, Jua, my family and a handful of others. But Kodi is, well, very dominating and takes pleasure in the pain of others. He doesn't dare touch Mother as she is Moja's mate and they have some sort of alpha pact of theirs or whatever and he rarely turns to Zira or myself therefore." She explained.

Kivuli nodded. "I have a friend he's displaying that 'pleasure of pain' on, actually. It makes me want to rip his throat out."

The cream colored lioness nodded knowingly. "Maybe you should make a stand yourself and then Winju will realize where his loyalties should lie."

Kivuli sighed. "Maybe. I'll have to talk with the princes first. I think one of them is going to go through my first plan." She raised an eyebrow. "Let one of them get close to him and work from within."

"Ah, I guess I can work on that as well. Our king can't stand temptation. You'll find if you offer him something he hardly ever turns it down." She winked and turned to leave down the path she had come, leaving Kivuli to glare back at the tree line.

He would have to work something out with his brother but right now he wanted to shred him with his claws.

Uru stared blankly up at the clear blue sky and sighed. Maji came and sat beside her with a sympathetic frown. The former queen was in bad shape still. It had only been a few days and it would still be many more, especially with the way she had witness the gruesome murder. It would have been better to have not seen it, she wouldn't feel as guilty.

"Uru, you have to remain strong, for your sons, for your pride." She whispered to the brown lioness.

"Why? They are grown, you have a new king, I have no one anymore to share my thoughts with." She said in a sad monotone. "Mufasa or Taka should leave the Pridelands and take you all with them. I don't want to move from this spot."

"Why is that?" Maji questioned.

The former queen's brown eyes glassed over as she relived a memory. "This was where I was when Ahadi was taken to see my father Mohatu when he first came upon the Pridelands."

_Uru had just scrambled away from her mother when she spotted a dusky gold figure coming across the grassy field in front of Pride Rock. She paused and turned slightly when her father's golden pelt entered her line of vision. Her heart skipped a beat, this could only mean a handful of things. One, another pride was seeking help from her father and his lionesses; two, an intruder was being brought for a sentence; or three, a rogue was seeking to join the pride. The brown cub waved over her shoulder at her tan hued mother and bounded down the rock ledges to hide behind one of the boulders to spy on her father._

_The dusky figure was a male, not quite fully grown but with a black mane well on the way and almost completely filled. His emerald green eyes looked past low lids down a long pointy muzzle that was a paler gold. He carried himself like a noble lion although he was rather lanky and his bones could be seen through his dull pelt._

_Mohatu stood above him with his own full brown mane spilling from his crown. He raised an eyebrow at the young male. "What business do you have with the Pridelands, boy?"_

_The male leered at the king but answered politely. "I am from the Southern Pride. I am looking to join a new pride and I hear you are a mighty Lion King. One of the best in the lore that passes with the rogues and you look like they describe you so they must be true."_

_Mohatu narrowed his eyes. "What is your name? Why do you seek another pride?"_

_Uru grinned. A new lion would be loads of fun, the only cub who played with her and was her friend was Maji and there were no other males._

"_I go by Ahadi and I have no more ties to that pride. The king was just killed in a challenge for the throne by one of his brothers and he didn't want a future threat from me as I am nearly grown."_

"_Who named you son?"_

"_My father, he believed I would one day make a good leader if I found a pride worth leading."_

_Mohatu smiled warmly at the lion. "I'll let you stay with us, my boy. You don't seem like a threat to me."_

_Ahadi shook his head. "No, Sire. The lions from the Southern Pride are rather lanky as myself although we are nimble and stealthy that makes up for lack of muscle." There was another shifting figure coming up behind Ahadi. "Oh, and this is my older brother, Kodi."_

_Uru leaned out further from behind her boulder. Another male? Was this her day or what?_

_A brown lion with the same long pointy muzzle and bright green eyes padded up beside Ahadi. He, however, had a full slick black mane. "I also seek acceptance, King Mohatu."_

_The Lion King looked over the new lion. "I suppose you may stay as well, but if either one of you give me reason to kick you out I will, personally."_

_The young males nodded._

_Uru cautiously stepped from her hiding spot when her father had climbed back up to the main den and her brown eyes assessed the two new males. They instantly paused and noticed her eyes on them and she found two pairs of gorgeous green eyes boring into her._

"_Um, hi." She said nervously. She was almost as old as they were but not quite and their age intimidated her. "I'm Uru."_

_Kodi stepped forward and sniffed the air around her. "You smell like Mohatu." He stated._

_Uru stared blankly up at him and finally gasped when she couldn't hold her breath any longer. "That's because I'm his daughter."_

_He raised an eyebrow and turned back to his brother and they slowly went to mingle with the rest of the pride._

"He came with Kodi and I snuck behind a boulder to spy on them with my father. It seems like a whole different life." The former queen sighed as she closed her eyes sadly.

Maji did remember the two males when they were younger. Uru had introduced them and they would play all the time. The males didn't always want to but it was hard to resist the two females when they were younger. She remembered how they would pounce on the males to keep them from returning to their sleep. It was a whole other life, back when they had been young, when the trials of life hadn't begun, when they were carefree and had the whole day to play and laugh with their two new friends who were a lot more interesting than the Pridelander cubs. If it wasn't for her own daughter she would want to go back to those brighter days. They weren't necessarily bad off, the Pridelands still flourished, and it wasn't like other prides hadn't been taken over by another lion in a fight to the death. Yet still her heart sank for the young children and for the poor dear Nyota. It seemed like it was only yesterday she had been ready to fight the strange lioness for intrusion. She allowed a brief smile spread across her face before burying in under the sadness once more. Those days would never come again for her or Uru.

_**Please review =)**_


	11. Those Days

**Chapter Eleven: Those Days**

_**Sorry it took so long to put this together but I hope it was worth it! **_

_**Disclaimer: all Disney characters belong to Disney of course =P**_

Young Uru's golden brown eyes followed the two dark maned males as they padded over to a group of lionesses who were sunbathing. They weren't as thick built as her father, they were lanky and their claws were unsheathed unlike the lions of the Pridelands. She cocked her head and decided to do some more spying, they seemed nice enough. She slowly stood back up and took a few steps to follow them as they greeted her mother Kara.

Her ears involuntarily twitched at a sound to her right but her eyes were glued on the males. A tan ball of fur slammed into her and pinned her on her back, another following. The fur on top of the princess peered down at her with aqua colored eyes and a small tuft of light brown fur on top of his head and he smiled down with his cream muzzle.

"Wow, Uru, what's the matter? I usually can't pin ya to save my life!" he batted at her dark brown nose with his tan paw.

Uru frowned and bared her teeth up at the cub and shoved him off with her hind legs. "Get off of me Habari! Can't you see I'm a _little bit_ preoccupied?"

The smiling cub tilted his head as he stepped off of the young lioness. "Preoccupied? With what?"

She had to roll her eyes. "Can't you _smell_ it?"

The tan lioness joined them and looked imploringly at her friend. Uru swept her paw in a flourish to indicate the rock they were sitting on. "Oh," the tan cubs said together before sniffing curiously.

Habari's head shot up. "There's two new scents here! They're male I think…"

Uru covered her face with her paw. "Of _course_ they are Habari, for the Great Spirit's sake, I can't believe Father wants you to be future king."

The always happy cub looked stricken and Uru had to quickly console him. "I didn't mean it literally Habari! I like you, but only as a friend."

"But we're betrothed…" he stated somewhat hopefully. Then his pretty aqua eyes turned to look where the scent trail led up Pride Rock to the lionesses sunbathing spot. "But…"

Uru felt really bad but couldn't help the situation much and resumed padding over to where her new interests were now casually laying with the lionesses. "Hey, Maji, I'm going to see if they want to play. Wanna come?"

The tan lioness nodded eagerly. "Can Habari come too?" she asked as she stood to follow her friend, looking back at her older brother.

"Of course, he's our friend too. Let's go see if they want to go play tag!"

Ahadi looked up with his emerald green eyes as the dark brown princess came prancing into the ring of lionesses. She flicked her tail at him in greeting with her chin held high and her light brown eyes glowing brightly as she stopped in front of the cream colored lioness he and his brother had just met. "Mother," she purred, "can Ahadi and Kodi come play with us? Please! We wanna play tag!"

Kara looked from her daughter to the young males beside her. "I think they have a say in what they do for the day, Uru." She bent down and licked the white dot on the cub's forehead. "Why don't you just go play with Maji and Habari?"

Uru groaned and Kodi looked over in more interest, ears perked. He smiled as he realized he liked her making that noise. "But Mom, that's gotten boring! I want to play with the new pride members." She complained as she pointed her brown paw at the two males. Kodi stood and padded over.

"Queen Kara, it really wouldn't be terrible to play with the young princess, if you're okay with it." He simpered as he glanced down at Uru who was smiling up at him and then at her mother, grinning widely.

Kara frowned but then broke a smile. "Okay, but be sure to thank Kodi for being so nice to give into you." She turned to Kodi, "Honestly, if you let her get her way all the time she's going to be riding you into the ground."

The dark lion grinned and turned to follow an already running Uru as she pelted to tell her friends the good news. "Surely she isn't that bad?" Kara smiled and laid her head back down to continue sunbathing.

Ahadi stood as well and followed his brother. "Brother, why are we _playing_?"

Kodi smirked at his younger brother. "She's the princess."

"Doesn't mean we have to baby sit." Ahadi pressed, still irritated.

"You didn't have to come, I was the one who offered." He replied.

"But why would you want to hang around a bunch of young cubs?" Ahadi asked, frustrated and confused by his brother's actions.

"They aren't that young, not far from your age actually, almost adults. Besides, what harm can come of it?"

Habari glanced back over his shoulder at the brothers and frowned deeper. He did not like the two new lions, especially that older one. There was something off about him, Habari just couldn't place it. He turned back to see Uru already dodging a pouncing Maji and he smiled a little. She was beautiful as the noon sun made her dark mocha colored fur shine in its bright beams. He wished she could see his beauty too, could accept him as the future king of the Pridelands as Mohatu had chosen him to be hers. He glanced back at the males behind him and narrowed his eyes, they couldn't be trusted. Just then he was forced to his belly as a weight landed on his back. He shook his long dark brown mane from his face and peered up to see Uru's golden brown gaze leaning over him.

"Payback for earlier." She purred before licking his nose and jumping off.

Maji was rolling around in dirt a foot away laughing at him as Uru smirked down at him and turned her attention to the males who had finally caught up. Habari stood up and shook himself clean before turning to join the others.

"Kodi! Ahadi! Wanna play tag?"

"Whatever you want to play, Princess, we are glad to play with you." Kodi answered with a smile.

"Okay," Uru smiled back, "everyone put a paw in a circle so we can decide who's It." She called.

Everyone offered one paw and she used her other paw to lightly tap them in an order as she sang the Pridelands cub hood rhyme. "_The sun rises, to light the way, but careful where your little paws stray, shadows loom, in the gloom, and reach out to grab ya, if you're brave and if you're strong, you can give a roar that'll make them soar back into the graveyard!"_ Her paw landed on Habari's tan toes. "Habari's It!" she cried and took off running with the others fanning out after her.

Habari listened to the rhyme all cubs learned in the Pridelands and closed his eyes as Uru's delicate paw brushed his. He looked forward to playing with her everyday so that they could touch paws during the rhyme, unless it was Maji's turn to sing it, and when they tackled each other they shared a play fight where you had to touch each other. All too soon she pressed down lightly on his toes and cried that he was It and he opened his eyes to see the tips of tails being swallowed by the tall grass. Great, now he was alone, he was actually looking forward to hiding with Uru as it was always safest to hide in a group of at least two so that only one got caught. He sighed and took off in the direction Maji and Uru had taken.

Uru raced low to the ground like a huntress chasing her prey and the thought gave her confidence that Habari wouldn't catch her. She was already a skilled huntress though she hadn't killed anything yet, only caught and let go as she wasn't due for her first hunt with Maji until a few months from now. She paused behind one of the massive tree trunks and peered around at where she had fled from to only see the tall grass shifting in the breeze like an ocean of gold. She crouched lower and smiled. She hadn't even broken a sweat. She was about to continue running to gain distance when she heard a faint rustle behind her. She cocked her head toward it and swiveled her ears to listen better, an eyebrow raised. Habari couldn't have caught up to her already and she hadn't exactly ran in the same direction the whole time. She searched the golden grasses until she saw a dark figure with a somewhat full mane and dark fur.

"Kodi?" she asked tentatively as the lion approached her.

"Uru? There you are. I saw you run behind this tree and wanted to make sure you were alright when you hadn't run off for a while." He answered her as he too crouched low. He must have been a skilled hunter as well.

"What are you doing over here? Why aren't you off somewhere else?" she asked as they scanned the grasses for Habari's tan form.

"I take it that the male cub will come after you first as he was thoroughly enjoying you touching his paw during that rhyme." Kodi whispered.

"Oh, yeah, about that, Dad betrothed us when I was born because he was the only male in our pride so I guess it was the only rational thing to do."

Kodi raised an eyebrow and gave her a sidelong glance. "But you don't like the betrothal?" he guessed.

Uru frowned slightly and sighed. "Habari is fine and all, but I only like him as a friend, nothing more intimate. Besides, more males come along like rogues and males looking for another pride when they can't stand theirs or are forced from it. Princes and the like who didn't get to be king." She explained.

To her surprise Kodi nodded. "Yes, of course. Love can't be forced at birth."

"Exactly!" she said almost a little too loudly. She cleared her throat and crouched lower. "That's what I tell my mom and dad _all_ the time but they never listen."

"They should," Kodi replied, "you have a lovely voice to listen to." He smiled at her as she looked up at him and smiled at the compliment.

A week passed and Uru was stretched out on a rock by the Waterhole and smiled as the sun hit her back in just the right spot. Her golden brown eyes opened halfway to see Ahadi padding up to the water's edge and lapping up some of the cool liquid before turning in her direction. Pushed her head from her paws and smiled in welcome as he lay to her left by the tree's trunk.

"Morning, Ahadi." She purred and flicked her tail.

Ahadi sniffed and licked his lips. Was that because of her? She wanted to find out. The gold lion stretched and nodded to her. "Morning, Princess Uru."

She giggled. "You can just call me Uru, everyone else does." He nodded again. "Is there anything else you wish to say?"

"Not at the moment except that you are aware my brother intends to court you?" he stated with a sideways look up at her.

She paused and smiled to herself. A grown male, wanting to court her? She was hardly what the other young adult lionesses were in the Pridelands. "I was hoping one of you would." She looked down at him to find him blushing.

"One of us? You don't care if it's me or him?" when he said it like that it seemed like she was taking the best of a bad situation. Was she?

"That's not what I meant." She said, a little flustered.

He narrowed his green eyes at her. "Well that's what it sounded like. If you'd care to explain though I don't feel like getting up because I'm an option to be tried if it pleases you."

She flinched and narrowed her own eyes. "Now listen here Ahadi, I do care which one of you it is but honestly it wouldn't matter because I actually like you two as potential mates if one of you would get the balls to court me."

Ahadi growled low. "I thought Mohatu had betrothed you anyways. To that tan male or whatever."

"Habari." She said flatly. "His name is Habari."

"So you two are to be married after all, you're already defending him like you're his mate."

"He's only a friend to me!"

"Does he know that?"

Uru scratched her claws into the rock. Of course he did, she had made it clear she was interested in Ahadi and Kodi. But maybe he was holding out on the fact that they were still betrothed. Maji and Habari's mother was still sitting close to her mother Kara as they discussed how much they played together and liked each other. The Great Spirit only knew if they were already talking about cubs or not. Ahadi smirked up at her.

"Do you enjoy torturing me?"

He thought for a moment before frowning and he sounded sincere as he replied, "Honestly, no. In fact I feel like Habari must. I can only admire you from the sidelines although you clearly have interest in me if you tell the truth but you have only flirted with Kodi."

"Did you think of telling me this? Kodi came forward with his feelings when we first played tag while you looked like you'd had rather chew a porcupine's butt." She spat.

"Well, at first I saw as a royally spoiled cub but saw that you were indeed beautiful. Especially as you moved through the grass, a dark silent caress against the golden strands. You have the body of a huntress, built like your father but lithe enough to be stealthier than one of his size." He confessed.

She was slightly taken aback. He compared her to a dark silent caress. That sounded like the cheesy gibberish Habari poured out at her when he was doped up on her scent after they had been running themselves ragged and were finally resting under the stars before heading home. Uru smiled slightly as the sun switched from its harsh high point to the afternoon hours. "Ahadi, why don't we go and play, the sun isn't so harsh anymore."

He blinked up at her as she stood and shook herself in her beam of sun, her fur glossy and healthy. He stood and followed her as she bounded a little ways from him and turned to make sure he was still following. He chased her like that for hours, finally stopping as she tumbled with him down an immense grassy hill with wide grins and laughter until they rolled to a stop, tangled in each other's legs.

Uru continued to laugh gently as she untangled herself and rolled onto her back to rest beside the gold lion, their bodies still pressed against each other. Their eyes met and she nuzzled into him, pressing her head gently under his chin as he laid it on her head. Ahadi smiled down at the young lioness as she laid her head on his paws and he nestled his head across her shoulders, his cheek falling to the nook of her neck. She was beautiful were his last thoughts as they fell asleep under the stars and he realized what his brother saw in her. A playful cub with an exotic nature that loved to fight and run and have fun that made her in his eyes the perfect lioness. A lioness he realized he loved. Uru's thoughts were taking her down the same path and she grinned to herself, not even worrying about Habari, Mohatu, Kara or Kodi, she was too happy to care.

Habari and Maji were on their way home from a hunting lesson with their mother when they spotted the dark gold form on the hill laying protectively over something much smaller. Maji recognized them before her brother and instantly tried to divert the tan male's attention.

"Habari, it's just Ahadi, let's go to the den." she stepped into his line of sight and waved him on.

"I know that's Ahadi but what's he lying on?" he craned his neck a little and looked over his smaller sister's head to have her jump up to block his vision again. It didn't take a genius to realize she was trying to hide something from him and by the way her eyes shifted back and forth he recognized it was the kind of diverting that she did to protect Uru when she was doing something she probably shouldn't be. His blue eyes clouded over as he looked down at her face and his mouth opened but no sound came out.

Maji stopped trying to distract her brother when he looked down at her with his mouth moving without making a noise. He had put one and two together and gotten a whopping three as his answer. She dragged her paw over her eyes and down her face and sat down. "I'm sorry Habari, it is her."

She looked up to see him running around her to get a better look at the sleeping pair and her heart broke for him. As the princess's best friend she had known she didn't love her brother back but seeing him see her with another male really struck her at how much he loved her. She frowned slightly as he stopped a good distance away from the pair with a paw in mid-stride and squinted her eyes slightly at his lost expression. His heart was breaking all over his face and he wasn't hiding his tears, couldn't keep them in any longer, so he let them fall, his blue eyes graying in the moonlight as the silvery streams darkened his tan cheeks. She stood and padded over to him and placed her paw over his and rubbed her head under his chin, feeling the dampness of his neck on her fur. "Habari…"

"No, don't Maji… just don't. I knew how she felt. I just… just hoped that the betrothal would have helped her get to know me as a male worthy of her love. I guess I was wrong." He scrubbed his eyes clear of the blurry tears and strode back towards Pride Rock. "Come Maji, we need to get to the den."

Maji followed her brother and gave one last look over her shoulder at the smiling pair asleep under the stars and felt torn between love for her friend, happy she had found happiness, and her brother who was devastated by that same revelation.

Mohatu led his daughter along the border on their morning patrol. He looked down at her as she let out another yawn and smiled. "Did you get enough sleep, Uru? Your mother and I noticed you didn't come back to the den last night and neither did Ahadi or Kodi, were you with them?"

Uru smiled sheepishly up at him. "I was running with Ahadi all day and we lost track of time and fell asleep under the stars."

"You know, the stars are the great kings of the past that watch over us. And that along with Ahadi watching over you, I just knew you were alright last night and slept like a log."

Uru gawked at her father. "Really? You weren't worried about me?"

"I might have been worried, but the kings always watch over their own, even when their time here is up and they are with the Great Spirit."

"Wow! Can they talk with you?" she asked curious how her dad had known she was alright.

"Sometimes although it isn't like we're talking now." He told her as they followed the stream that led to the Great Waterfall.

Uru scrunched up her dark nose. "Then how can we understand them?"

The Lion King laughed a deep laugh and smiled. "They speak to us through what the Great Spirit speaks to us, nature around us. My own father came to me last night in a gentle gust when the air was still, telling me you were in good paws. I trust his judgement."

"How did you know it was your dad, couldn't it have been your granddad or great-granddad?" Uru pressed.

"The gust carried his scent. That's how I knew, and every king has his own scent and way of introducing himself. Sometimes they come through the clouds in the sky, or the star configurations themselves or on the surface of the water."

"Wow! That's amazing!" Uru gasped.

"Yes, usually only the rulers can recognize the old kings' signs but there are others that are able to as well. They are called the Gifted or Shamans and they usually have a mark on them that tells of their power." Mohatu told her as his dark brown eyes swept across the plains they were passing.

Uru scanned the upcoming desert border and paused to make sure a loose tumbleweed wasn't a threat. "What kind of mark?"

"Sometimes it's a distinctive color or patch of fur somewhere on their body or a different look about them. For example their eye colors may be different than the other, one being one color and the other another."

"Oh." Uru said as they moved on to the thorn bush patch before the Elephant Graveyard. They stopped by a stream that led from the river to the Waterhole and they both leaned down to lap up some of the refreshing clear liquid, grateful that they no longer had to ration out the amount among the kingdom. Uru smiled down at their reflections and paused as she noticed her name's sake mark on her forehead for what felt like the first time. "Uh, Dad?"

"Yes Uru, what is it?" Mohatu asked as he started towards the Graveyard many yards away from them. "We can't stay out on patrol all day, what would the other lionesses do for fun?" he joked.

Uru ran up beside him and joined him on the well-treaded path to the dark shadowy Graveyard that no one went into except the elephant herds to lay their old to rest due to the green fiery gas pit holes that spouted flames randomly. "Is it a mark like the one I have?"

Mohatu looked down at her and stopped causing her to stop beside him, curious to know the answer.

"I believe so, your great-great grandmother on your mother's side bore a similar mark on her shoulder."

"Cool!" Uru's mouth smiled as she said the word, wondering what her great-great grandmother was like. "What was she like Dad?"

"Let's see, she was still alive and able when I was a young cub so I should be able to remember… ah yes, I remember now. She was a pale cream like your mother only paler, with warm brown eyes the color of the sandstone in the walls of the Gorge. Her mark was a starburst spot as big as your diamond and it was a pale grey color. It was her name sake to although her name came from her other pride far up north. She was born in the High Rock Pride in the rocky foothills of the mountain range, her name was Stonestar for the grey many pointed star on her shoulder." Uru continued to gap up at her father with her mouth wide upon in a smile.

"That's amazing! So Mom and I have ties to the High Rock Pride?"

"Well, yes but it hardly stands out against your Pridelands blood line, Uru. Don't get any ideas of running off to join the High Rock Pride." He scolded with a grin, nudging her with a large paw.

Uru caught her footing after the nudge and mock growled up at her father. "Of course not, you need me too much here!"

"Oh yeah? Says who?" he mirrored her crouch.

"Says me!" Uru growled loudly as she leapt towards her dad.

Mohatu let her land on his shoulders and lightly nibble his large ear. He laughed and rolled over so that she fell off to the side. She jumped up and chased the golden male through the grass and over an outcropping of rocks until she tackled him and he let her pin him to the ground.

"Ah, you ready to head home Uru? I'm sure your mother is bored without us to keep up with."

"Yeah! Let's go and pounce Mother, I can show her how good I've gotten with my stalking and pouncing. Maji's mom said I was better than any of the adult lionesses the other day." She purred.

"And I don't doubt a word of it, let's go."

They got up and crept up Pride Rock, keeping to the shadows until they peeked around the great rock formation to see Kara with Maji's mother chatting with their eyes closed in a patch of bright sun. Uru smirked to herself, that just made it too easy. She spotted a few pebbles at her feet and held her paw up to tell her dad to remain quiet before swatting a few to bounce off a boulder and into Kara from the opposite direction. The cream colored queen shifted with a quiet moan and blinked sleepily to look at where the pebbles had bounced off the boulder.

"Wha…"

Maji's mother stirred and looked over at the other lioness. "What is it Kara?"

"I thought I felt something…" she looked down at the pebbles by her stretched out hind leg. "Where did these come from?" she turned her golden eyes back to the top of the boulder. "Uru, Maji, Habari? Are any of you playing around that boulder?" she called out.

Uru covered her mouth with her paw to stifle her snicker and crept forward in her low crouch, not shifting any more pebbles, her paws sure in their footing and not making a noise. She was only an inch from the two lionesses when she pounced silently then landed on her mother's back with a growl. "I am the mighty huntress, Princess Uru! And this," she indicated a chuckling Mohatu revealing himself from their previous hiding spot, "Is my valiant hunting partner, the Lion King!"

Kara regained her breath from the scare and placed a paw on her chest. "Uru, you scared me! But I must admit you are good at stalking now. Did you get a lesson from you?" she asked her friend.

"No, I was going to give her one with Maji and Habari but she's a natural. Habari was particularly proud of her. His eyes were just pools of admiration."

Uru frowned and sat down beside her mother as they prattled on about the betrothal and how well they went together. She didn't want to marry Habari, she wanted Kodi or Ahadi, but one of them had to formally court her openly for her parents to consider the change in the marriage status. "Excuse me, Mom, Dad? Can I go and find Ahadi or Kodi to play with?"

Kara looked sideways at her tan friend. "Wouldn't you rather play with Habari and Maji? I think Habari's over by the Waterhole, here I'll take you."

"But Mom!" Uru complained as her mother stood and ushered her towards the Waterhole. "I want to go play with Ahadi and Kodi, can't I please!"

"Later, dear. I think they were off with a few of the lionesses on a hunting party."

Uru frowned but tried to look more pleasant when they arrived at the Waterhole and Habari and Maji were certainly there swimming in the cool pool. "Hey guys." She waved as her mother left her to lay on a flat rock nearby and monitor the play date.

"Hey!" Maji called as she paddled close to the bank. "Wanna join us?"

Uru looked over at Habari who had a sadder look on her face than he had had when she and her mother were coming down the path. "Sure." She shrugged her shoulders and dove right in, momentarily engulfed by the cool waves before resurfacing under the bright, hot sun and paddling fast in the wake of Maji.

After a while of only playing with Maji, Uru spotted her mother had come to the bank of the pool and was beckoning her over. She sighed and paddled over with her ears pressed to her head. "Yes, Mom?"

"Why don't you go swim with Habari, he looks like he wants to join in." she hinted.

"Okay." Uru paddled over to the male. She noticed that he had grown in size and that his mane was much fuller now, she guessed he was the same age as Ahadi almost, just a month off while she was two and a half. "Hey Habari, want to play with me?"

"I thought you were playing with Maji." He stated as he continued to paddle slowly.

Uru paddled beside him, matching his pace. "Well, your my friend too."

"Am I?" he asked with a little hurt in his voice.

"Of course you are! Why wouldn't you be?"

"Thought you'd be too busy with Kodi and Ahadi, especially Ahadi." He seethed.

Uru stared wide eyed at him. "Why…?"

"You were all cozy with him last night." His pained blue eyes bore into her golden brown. He had seen her sleeping with Ahadi.

"That doesn't mean I'm not your friend." Uru said, fighting back tears that threatened to spill.

Habari heard the tears in her voice and wanted her to cry, wanted her to hurt like he had, always hoping and always hurting over the years, especially this past week. "We are betrothed. I won't let your father renounce what he has proclaimed. I will confess my love for you at his paws over and over and unless I renounce the vow it cannot be changed by law." His voice was hollow but laced with malice to hurt.

It worked.

Uru felt the first tear break free and glide down her cheek. When was the last time she cried? She couldn't remember, probably because it had never happened. Habari seemed to realize this too at her shocked expression as more spilled down her face. She felt icy claws grip her heart, making her chest shrink and breath come in haggard breathes. She paddled to the nearest bank and pulled herself out of the water. Habari pulled himself out a few feet away and she looked over at him pleadingly to take back what he had said but he didn't, just looked down sympathetically but with no remorse. It was a look someone gave when they spotted someone in the same despair they were so familiar with. "Habari… I'm so sorry about all of this… please, don't…"

"I'm not sorry. I love you and will do anything to be with you. I know you'll love me too after a while, after all, we are friends aren't we?" he sneered, driving the knife deeper in the wound he had heartlessly slashed in her chest.

She cringed away from his angry face, angry from always being held at a distance as a friend. She watched his walk away and was numbly aware of Maji coming and sitting beside her, draping a comforting paw across her shaking shoulders. She glanced back at her sleeping mom and then squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to talk to her or to Maji. She wanted to be with Kodi and Ahadi.

Maji softly spoke as she rubbed her friend's shoulders. "Uru, do you want to talk?"

She shook her head.

"Do you want to go home?"

Another shake.

"You want to go find Kodi and Ahadi?"

Uru looked up at her friend's orange brown eyes.

"It's okay, we don't have to go check in with our parents, we're almost grown, we can make our own decisions. Besides, I won't leave you."

Uru smiled gratefully at her best friend and they slowly walked off to find the two males. They found Kodi first, with Mohatu.

"Sire, I wish to court your daughter." The dark lion said evenly with a face void of expression.

"What? Are you aware of the age difference?"

"Ahadi wishes to as well although he is currently out with the patrol party, I speak for him the same."

"She's too young for you both!" Mohatu growled.

"Ahadi is barely a month older than that Habari or whatever his name is and I am barely much older than Ahadi, not even two months. I am not asking for marriage now or mating as that should be done as adults, I am just asking that you reconsider her future mate and for now pull back the betrothal, she isn't happy with it." Kodi said with his same monotone voice, not seeking a heated argument with the larger lion.

"She and Habari get along just fine and the betrothal law still abides. He will have to renounce ties to her himself now."

"Shouldn't Uru have a say about it?" Kodi snapped, showing a hint of anger that surprised an approaching Uru.

"Dad?" she called as she stood a few feet away and walked up to stand between the lions with Maji right behind her. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Uru! What's wrong?" the king asked at the sight of her puffy eyes and soaked body, in the process conveniently changing the subject.

The irritated princess frowned at the diversion. "Dad, I was just swimming in the Waterhole with Maji and Habari…"

"See, she likes him." Mohatu said to Kodi, turning his attention from his daughter to the dark lion.

"Dad! I like Habari, but not as a mate, as a friend. But now I'm not so sure." Uru shouted, getting both lions' attention.

"Why is that? I thought you two were perfect together… what happened?" Mohatu asked with a flustered expression.

"I don't want him as a mate, I want Ahadi or Kodi, I want to get to know them better and choose my own mate when I go on my first hunt a few months from now. Please, I don't love Habari."

"And you love Kodi?"

"I like him and Ahadi in a different way than Habari. When they look at me I feel like what Mom looks like when you nuzzle her or look at her. When Habari looks at me I feel like a do with Maji, I don't think that feeling will change over time."

"I will have to ask Habari about it."

Uru's face went from fierce and determined to sad and lost. "He just told me he wouldn't renounce the betrothal, even knowing how I feel about him, he won't do it."

Maji reached up and hugged her gently, letting Uru determine how long the hug will last. The dark princess latched onto her friend. Mohatu frowned and sighed at the sight then glanced over at Kodi who's face that was placid before was now creased with worry.

"He said that to you?" the dark lion came forward and stroked the young lioness's back in a soothing rhythm that turned her hiccupping sobs to soft moans. "It's alright Uru, it's okay…" he murmured until she had the tears under control then turned to the king. "Doesn't her happiness mean anything to you?"

"Habari has been taught in the ways of a king, if one of you can prove to be a better lion for the job and she will have one of you than I will denounce the ties by loyal decree but if you don't meet both of those standards, the betrothal stands." Mohatu said before walking back towards Pride Rock.

Kodi led the two lionesses to a small pool under a broad tree and motioned Uru to clean her face in the cool water. Uru walked stiffly up to the shallow back and dipped her paw in, letting the water slowly surround her digits before reaching it up to her face and scrubbing gently at her salty tear tracks until her face was soft and clean once more, dried by the African heat. She turned her dark golden eyes to the other two and padded over to where they sat by the tree trunk, having given her space to wash.

"Thanks Kodi." she mumbled as she flopped onto her side in front of them.

Kodi craned his neck to lick her outstretched paw and she smiled warmly at him before turning her head to the tan lioness beside them. "And thank you, Maji, you're a really good friend."

Her friend smiled weakly before looking out the grass between her paws. "Did you mean it about not knowing if Habari is your friend or not?" she asked flatly, her orange eyes shifting up to meet her gaze for a moment.

Uru's smile dropped and she looked up at the blue sky, the sun blazing high in the sky. "I don't know, it all depends if he can see me as just one or not. If he can't, it's just too awkward to be around him knowing his feelings."

"It'll crush him." Maji clenched her claws deep into the soil, ripping up blades of grass.

"It's his choice." Uru growled. She rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes for a moment. "It'd crush me too." She whispered. Maji sighed and stood up.

"I'm going to go see if I can find him." The tan lioness raced off in the direction he had headed earlier and in a few moments she was out of sight.

Kodi stood up and Uru did the same, looking up at him. "So what do you want to do today Kodi?"

"Are you hungry?"

Uru thought for a moment, not really having given it thought until she felt a slight gurgle in her belly and realized she was indeed ravenous. "Um… kinda." She laughed sheepishly.

"Why don't we go on a bonding hunt?"

She nodded eagerly, wanting to actually practice her hunting skills on live targets instead of rocks like Maji's mom had them do. A rock just sat there with no anticipation of a strike, no concern for its future unlike an antelope or zebra or wildebeest. "Okay! Let's go see what herds are around."

Kodi led the way into the sunlight and motioned her to lead the rest of the way. "I hear you're a great hunter for your age. Why don't you demonstrate by finding the herd?"

Uru beamed at the opportunity to impress him and bounded ahead and breaking into a swift silent stride with her head parallel with her spine, tail straight out, ears tilted to catch the slightest noise and paws dodging loose obstacles with ease, Kodi falling into step behind her. She noticed that even though his claws were partially extended he didn't make a noise, even when they had to leap down a large rock outcrop to get to the typical herd grazing grounds. Interesting. She looked back to the surrounding sea of grass and spotted a line of black and white a little distance away and she grinned, hunkering down, her paws itching for the chase.

"Look Kodi, a herd of zebra. You up for zebra?" she looked sideways at the dark lion, smirking up at him.

He matched her smirk. "I'm up for anything that's in sight." He purred, causing Uru to do a double take on what he meant. Before she could make sure what he had meant he had raced off in his stalking crouch towards the zebra, forcing her to get back into what was important, lunch. She caught up with him and they split up, barely shifting the grass with the wind as they scoped the striped prey who were too busy with grazing. Uru spotted a young zebra, almost into adulthood, it would be tender. She licked her lips and inched closer before leaping into the air at a slight angle to dig her extended claws in the animal's neck and shoulder, her teeth snapping closed on its spine. She growled as the coppery blood filled her mouth and overrode her senses. She saw red as it flowed over the pelt beneath her, mingling with hers. It was messy but satisfying and soon the body went limp and she released it to look up panting at a calm Kodi. He was smiling down at her with a small smile but a smile nonetheless and she was filled with pride.

"It should be really tender." She panted.

"You picked well, old enough to supply enough meat and young enough to taste exquisite." He reached down and ripped the pelt at the throat and peeled it back before sitting beside the smaller dark lioness. "You can have the first pick. You did kill it after all."

Uru's chest puffed out and she brought her fangs greedily to the belly and ripped the red juicy meat from the corpse and chewed on it with moans of pleasure. It was exquisite!

Kodi closed his eyes as she moaned with her mouthfuls of zebra, imagining he was the one making her moan like that. He let out a throaty purr before tearing into the neck, his emerald eyes never leaving Uru as they shared their lunch.

Ahadi lounged with an irritated Habari and frowned as Mohatu closed up the lesson on the Circle of Life. He could grasp that, it was just the whole Great Spirit business he didn't quite understand. How can there be a lion or whatever it was up in the sky watching over all of them? It just didn't make sense, although Habari appeared to believe in it fiercely but then again he had been raised here. Ahadi fought the urge to yawn as the king wrapped up the whole Circle and how we are all one, our lives impacting everything around us and all that when he spotted Uru and Kodi loping in the fields. According to the Mohatu, his brother had already had these lessons as he had apparently taken an interest in them the first day they had arrived. It irritated him to no end. It meant that while Ahadi was stuck with sour lemon Habari, Kodi was frolicking with the princess and ultimately pushing him up to be her mate. A soft growl escaped his throat and his lips curled back slightly in a snarl and he was thankful that while he was watching the frolicking pair that Mohatu had receded to Pride Rock.

Habari however, heard. "What are you doing?" he snapped, annoyed.

Ahadi rolled his eyes and sneered at the tan lion. "Not that it's any of your business, but my brother has already sat through these lessons and has been playing with your precious Uru all day." He knew it would hurt the lion and he smiled as he was proven right.

"What?" Habari's face went slack and he looked out where he had seen Ahadi staring when Mohatu was telling of the Circle. His aqua eyes widened as he saw that they were indeed 'playing' as Kodi tackled Uru softly and started licking her paws and face. Why was he doing that? He stood up and padded over to get a closer look, not caring as Ahadi followed with a scowl on his long face. They lay down behind a hill and peeked over the edge until Kodi stood up from the couple's rolling on the ground and headed toward Pride Rock, leaving Uru laying on the flattened grass smiling up at the darkening blue sky with her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm.

As soon as the dark lion was gone, Ahadi and Habari padded over to her and looked down at her, startling her for a moment. She twisted around to her belly and stood, shaking the loose grass from her dark pelt. "Oh, hey guys! Where were you today?" she asked Ahadi.

"On a patrol, where were you today?"

She frowned at his serious expression. "Playing with Maji then…" she glanced quickly over at Habari, "then Kodi showed up and I played with him while Maji went to find Habari."

Habari scowled. "I heard Kodi and Ahadi can suit you now."

"Yes, Father has agreed that whoever makes the best king will be my future mate." Uru informed with a small frown.

"You do understand that I am still the best candidate. My blood line has given me the body like your father's, a king's sturdy build while they have lanky ones._ I_ can easily beat them in a fight and _I_ actually was raised on the teachings of the Great Spirit while _they_ are only just beginning to understand them…"

"Shut up, Habari." Ahadi growled as his claws fully extended. "If you think you can beat one of us then why don't we spar right now?"

Habari looked down his nose at the now crouching dark gold lion and sneered. "Think you're up to it, Outsider?"

Uru gasped. An Outsider was a lion who was only visiting a land and wouldn't be there long. "Habari, Ahadi and Kodi are part of the pride now! They'll be kicked out as soon as I will!"

"Hmph."

Ahadi roared and leapt at the tan lion who immediately ducked out of reach and snarled back, raising his paws, now glinting with sharp black claws. He swiped at Ahadi's face and shoulder.

Ahadi leaned back to avoid the strike to the face but hissed at the stinging contact to his shoulder. He crouched low again and began to circle Habari who began circling him as well, his fangs bared, their eyes assessing each other.

Uru stood uneasy on the sidelines as the males snarled and spat at the other, not knowing what to do about it. Ahadi leapt at the same small angle she had when she felled the zebra and she watched with shocked eyes as his claws dug into Habari's shoulder and side, a trickle of blood spilling from his thick pelt.

Habari swatted at Ahadi who pinned him down and snarled in his face. "Don't you ever underestimate me, boy." He growled low before detaching himself from the lion. He flipped his black mane from his face and glared down at him. "Do we have an understanding? Oh, and by the way, Kodi can skin you alive without you landing a scratch on him with that way you fight, cub."

"I'm not a cub!" Habari growled as he stood and shook himself, panting slightly from his wounds.

Uru stepped between them before they could start another fight and looked between them. "Enough! Habari, go clean your wounds."

His aqua eyes looked between the two, cold and flat, a killer's eyes. He slowly turned without looking from the pair while he padded to the stream by the Waterhole.

As soon as he was gone Uru turned to Ahadi who was licking his shoulder the best he could.

"Why did you push him like that?" she asked as she went to look at his shoulder, he wasn't even able to reach it that well where the wound was, his pink tongue just brushing over it.

Ahadi paused from his cleaning to look down at her. "He was the one who was pushing it. He's too cocky and a king should never be cocky. I should know, with what happened to my pride."

"We're your pride now." Uru said gently as she leaned down to lick his wound.

Ahadi gawked down at her as her pick tongue flicked out to lick the dried blood trails around the slashes and then it came out in long, slow glides. He found the motion comforting and his eyes half closed and a gravelly purr rumbled from his chest.

Uru cleaned the blood around the wound with gentle licks then licked the wound with long cleansing licks and found herself closing her eyes. She liked this taking care of Ahadi and gave little soft purrs. She heard a rougher loud noise by her ear and her ears jerked up and her eyes opened to look around at what could be making the noise and then she rested her gaze on the lion she was cleaning. He was making the noise? She flicked her eyes up to his and smiled at the content look on his face. She pulled away and grinned up at him.

"So, you've learned of the Great Spirit, huh?"

"Yes, Mohatu told us all about his teachings today after the walks of the lands."

Uru looked up at the violet sky and marveled at the light changes now that the sun was low on the horizon and the stars blinked to life. She lay down next to the dark gold lion and scanned the heavens. "Do you believe in it?"

Ahadi followed her gaze and frowned, something Uru noticed he did a lot. "Not really, I'm more of the practical thinker. There's a reason for everything that happens, not some other being that makes it all happen. Otherwise, what happened to me wouldn't have been allowed to happen, we didn't deserve it."

"Sometimes, bad things happen for a reason and it makes us stronger, pointing us in the direction we were meant to go in." Uru told him as she turned onto her back still across his paws. "The kings are always watching over us and even when the bad happens, we are on the path we need to travel to reach the destination we need to meet." She smiled up at Ahadi who was looking down at her thoughtfully now.

"Those are wise words for one so young."

"The Pridelands weren't always so great, we had a really bad drought a while back and we had to cross the desert to drink from the Great River. But we made new friends and settled a great misunderstanding in the process. We were meant to travel there and restore peace to that area, it was what the Great Spirit intended."

"I suppose you're right…" Ahadi mused.

Uru looked at him in a new light. _He had the means of being a king_, she mused and smiled at the image of him roaring in her father's place on Pride rock. She realized that no matter how much Kodi liked her, she was sure her father would see these potential in Ahadi like she did. "My father said all the brightest stars are of the great kings of the past, I think you'd be the brightest of all. Well, besides my father's."

She saw him smile down at her fondly as her lids drooped over her golden brown eyes and a smile spread across her face as she dreamt of her beside Ahadi with two young lion cubs at their paws….

Months had passed and the pride had gathered around Pride Rock as a grown Uru strode proudly down to the grass. She scanned the crowd of lions and found Ahadi's proud emerald gaze beside an equally proud and equally green gaze of Kodi. She smiled at them both and stopped at her father's feet.

"Uru, you are now to go off on your first hunt for the Pride with Maji." Mohatu smiled down at both young lionesses as Maji sat beside Uru. "You may hunt anywhere in the Pridelands and bring your first catch to Kara. We wish you luck." He stepped aside and they both rushed off into the tall grass to the side of Pride Rock that lead to the popular grazing fields.

Maji smiled over at Uru. "What do you want to catch?"

"I saw a herd of bison earlier, why don't we catch one of those? And maybe an antelope?" Uru suggested.

Maji beamed at the challenge. "That sounds great!"

They headed into the grass and Uru led the way to the last place she had seen the bison, smiling to herself at the sight of the flattened, sparse grass, a sign of grazing and at the tracks of bison hooves in the soft soil. She could tell it was bison by the diameter of the print and the deepness of the impression and how it was largely cloven. She motioned the prints to Maji then the direction they would head in to track the herd on either side of the tracks. Maji nodded and raced ahead. Uru followed on the opposite side of the trail and soon caught up and saw Maji as she scouted around the herd quickly and met up with Uru who was now crouched on the outskirts of the prey.

"Uru, there's a group of two older bison to the east while there is a youth almost to adulthood with three young to the north from here." She whispered, amber orange eyes on the herd.

Uru nodded. "The elderly will be a last resort," she whispered, knowing full well they weren't the bison they were taking to Pride Rock, "the young will be spared so they can grow and the youth is our target."

Maji looked at her friend and back at the youth. "But it's male, isn't it a little strong?"

"If it is one of the elderly will have to do then." Uru told her before heading over to see the youth. It was indeed big and strong, Maji might need to help her with this one. She narrowed her gold brown eyes and crept forward, making sure Maji was close to her left. The she leaped into the air a slightly higher angle than the zebra to compensate for the height difference and beamed inside with joy when her razor sharp claws dug into his thick shoulder and ribbed side. Her hind claws dug into the soft belly and she bit down hard on the spine close to the neck and slashed her left claw down his ribs before sinking it into his hind quarters and began ripping and tearing as the beast ran with the rest of the herd as they scattered. She was vaguely aware of Maji as she raced beside the youth, eying her friend with worry.

"Uru! Let him go, we can get the older one…" Maji cried out as she raced to keep up.

Uru growled in response and bit down harder, causing the animal to shriek in agony and his gait faltered. She began to work her hind claws and was rewarded when the beast fell to his side… the side she was on!

Uru released her grip and twisted to land on her feet and scramble out of range, only her tail getting caught under the massive body. She yanked it free as Maji stopped beside the body, panting.

"Uru, you can't put yourself in such danger like that! You don't have to prove yourself to anyone."

"It has the best meat." Was her only reply as she checked to make sure the beast was gone then she closed her eyes and said a quick prayer to the Great Spirit for the kill and that the beast made a safe passage to the Plains Beyond. "Let's take it back, on the way we can get that antelope. There were faint tracks by the bison's, smaller, leading to the stream behind Pride Rock. If they aren't there then they're resting in the shade of the trees there."

She gripped the bison's neck and hoisted it onto her back with a heave and smiled reassuringly at her still worried friend and headed back towards Pride Rock.

Maji found the trail of antelope tracks and led the way to the small herd by the trees behind Pride Rock. Uru laid down the bison and rolled her shoulders, loosening her muscles for the hunt once more. She motioned for Maji to take the lead, this would be her kill.

The nervous lioness shook herself to loosen up and fell into the crouching stalking walk as she slunk around the herd. Uru's eyes spotted a group of elderly antelope and then across the herd a small gathering of playing young but she drooled at one of the fresh youths of course, but her friend would make the choice. They regrouped and Uru told her what prime targets she had spotted and Maji's eyes fell to the bison youth. She wanted to bring back something equally as grand.

"I want that adult." She pointed one of the strong youths close to adulthood with a claw. Uru smiled at her and nodded approvingly and they fell into their positions.

Uru crept forward behind Maji who leapt at a slightly larger angle than she needed but landed on the antelope's back, her hind claws finding home in its side and soft belly. The tan lioness ripped frantically at the back of the prey as it bounded forward with the rest for the sparse trees, not tired at all. Maji had slowed it somewhat but didn't want to be beaten around on the trees and rocks so she hoisted herself completely on the creature's back and bit down hard on the long elegant neck, its lifeblood spurting out and the antelope's frightened brown eyes rolled back into its skull and its body crumpled beneath Maji. Maji released the shell of meat and panted down at her first ever kill. She licked herself clean and hauled the body onto her back, turning around to meet Uru a few paces back.

"I can't believe I did it." She panted with a smile at her beaming friend.

"We are adults in the Pride now, Maji." Uru purred as she retrieved her bison and they headed to the front of Pride Rock.

Maji frowned a little before smiling so Uru wouldn't notice. Now that they were adults, Uru would be mated to the male Mohatu deemed worthy to be king, and either way one of her friends would be unhappy with the decision.

The young lionesses dropped their catch at Kara's feet and looked up to meet the approving and proud eyes of the queen, king and rest of the pride. Habari rushed forward to rub against his younger sister, his mane now full and covering his shoulders and chest completely in dark brown waves, then smiled down at Uru and gave her an affectionate rub.

"I'm so proud of you both, you've grown to be fine young lionesses." He praised, causing both of his friends to blush.

Ahadi and Kodi stepped forward to congratulate Uru on the bison and she found she was puffing out her chest with pride and smiled affectionately up at Ahadi. A gesture that didn't go unnoticed between the other two males who frowned at the dark gold lion who was smiling back at her.

Mohatu cleared his throat and the three males came over to sit before him in a line, heads held high.

"It has come to my attention that Uru took interest in you three as future mates and I have as well. You have been taught in the ways of a king and the one who is chosen as my dear Uru is now an adult, he will continue the teachings and will be my right hand in my rule until my time is done. Then he will take my place."

The pride held their breath as one in anticipation of who their next king would be. Uru and Maji especially.

Mohatu paced in front of the three and then stopped, pinning each male with his dark brown eyes, not showing any signs of favoritism.

Habari looked from the king to his daughter behind him and sent a silent prayer to the Great Spirit that he would be chosen.

Ahadi looked levelly at the great king and then over his shoulder at Uru, sharing a secret smile with the princess.

Kodi held his head high and eyed Uru with want.

It was clear to the Lion King that each male loved his daughter and not just the thought of becoming king after him, that only made the decision harder to make. Originally he was going to stick with Habari, the young lion having grown in the ways of the king, but Ahadi had proven his namesake and shown such promise. Kodi was strong and wise but Mohatu saw how Uru had been spending more 'intimate' alone time with Ahadi, her eyes would literally glow, a sign of a Gifted, when she laid eyes on the young male. She had seen their future and had chosen it. He smiled down at each lion and announced in a clear voice. "Habari, you are strong in our traditions; Kodi, you are strong in body and mind, wise beyond your years no doubt; Ahadi, you show such promise and devotion to my pride and have accepted our ways like a second skin, but most of all Uru has found the most favor in you. I have seen how she has looked at you, it is different from your brother and her childhood friend. You will be my heir."

The lionesses cheered the wise king's decision and Uru ran up to hug her father before lunging at Ahadi, pinning him to the ground and licking his face. Maji ran to comfort her brother who sat stricken, gaping at Uru licking his enemy. The lioness he loved with all his heart, showing such affection to another shocked him. He always imagined him doing that to her, and her one day returning the gesture, maybe when they had had cubs during their reign. But no, those two had invaded his home and stolen his only love. He saw Maji run forward to comfort him and was barely aware that her paws were around his broad shoulders giving him a hug but he just wanted to be alone right now. He detached his sister from him and licked her cheek. "I'm proud of you Maji." He told her before he turned and raced away.

Kodi watched with a frown as his brother was practically bathed by the princess and then shortly later his calculating emerald eyes found that Habari racing away, barely able to hold his broken heart together. He would have chuckled at the lion's pain but he felt some pain in his heart as well, but trained in a pride of warriors, he faced the denial to his beloved. His mind was already thinking up ways to replace his brother with himself, bloody images of course but he pushed those aside for a last resort and further consideration. He would try to do it properly the first time but either way Uru was his, his brother just didn't know it yet. He bowed low to the king and smiled. "I pray the Great Spirit guide you young brother, and I wish happiness to you and Uru."

The couple smiled up at him and he felt the need to growl. He quickly bowed to them as well before padding off to a cave at the back of Pride Rock he had come across earlier in the month. He paced the small cave angrily, letting his evil mind reveal itself, his heavy growls filling the small space. _She_ was _his_ and no one else's, these _lands_ were his and _his_ alone. And one day, they would all see.

Habari sighed up at the night sky and rolled onto his belly, in the process spotting Maji, Uru and Ahadi, the future king, coming up the hill towards him. At first he thought he would slip away so he wouldn't be noticed, but when he saw Uru's eyes trained on him he figured that on the crest of a hilltop wasn't the best place to brood alone, especially with Uru's huntress senses. He waved lazily at the trio as they joined him and sat up, pawing away the loose grass from his fur. He had hoped to slip away completely before any of them noticed. He had hoped he wouldn't have to tell them…

"Habari, where did you go after the hunt?" Uru asked, all innocent of how hurt he really was with the rejection.

"Uru, I needed to be alone when I wasn't chosen." He explained, not meeting her gaze but pegging Ahadi with a glare.

"Habari…" she started with a sigh but Habari interrupted her.

"No Uru, you don't have any idea how it hurts! To love you ever since you were born, to watch you play and grow and be happy. You're happiest when you hunt, it brings the sparkle to your beautiful eyes so they resemble the savannah in the evening sun, it comes naturally to you. You're strong and graceful and I love you. I really really love you. But if I can't have you, this place, my home, our home… it's just too painful to watch you share the happiness you once shared with me as a friend with someone else as a… mate. I can't stand by and kill myself everyday cause that's what it'll do, Uru. But the king has spoken. Maybe I can find a mate elsewhere, maybe these lands will accept me…" he looked to the right at the border line and the other pride's lands just a few steps away.

Uru looked devastated, she hadn't loved Habari that way but he was her friend and she had stupidly thought he would be there for her forever. "I'll miss you Habari." Maji was close to tears.

"I'll miss you both so much. Maji, tell Mother I'm going in search of my destiny that the Great Spirit has laid out for me. I'll try to visit when I can." Then he turned and started towards the border to be stopped by Ahadi. "What do you want?"

"Can't you stay for the rest of the night? We can look up at the stars and you and the girls can revisit your childhood. They are devastated and you should at least give them this before you walk away. I can't believe you were going to slip away without a word in the first place, completely selfish." Ahadi drawled, not letting Habari past him.

Habari looked back at the crying lionesses and agreed with a sad smile. They lounged under the stars and talked of how they had spent their first day together playing tag around the Waterhole under the watchful eyes of their mothers and Habari told of the time he had saved them both from an upset elderly hippo. They shared many of their adventures and Habari found it was good that he stayed and talked with them, telling Uru whenever he had made his realization of his love through their friendship and she was flattered and surprised by most and Maji held onto every word he spoke, clinging to their history like a lifeline. Maybe it was, maybe they weren't supposed to be together forever but not necessarily apart. They would be forever connected in their hearts.

Years later, after Mohatu retired and left Ahadi and Uru to rule the Pridelands, the king and queen rushed to the border on a call from one of the other lionesses. There was a male there with a lioness and cub who wanted to speak to them specifically. Their two sons, twins, one dark and one gold followed their parents. Uru slowed to a walk as she laid eyes on the tan lion on the other side of the border with a cream lioness beside him with light blue green eyes and a matching cub standing between her paws.

"Habari! It's so good to see you." She purred as she rubbed her head against the lion's shoulder.

"Uru, I've come on a request that you take in my daughter, well actually, to take her to her Aunt Maji so she can be raised here. I've found a home with Lea here under Maliki's rule, Lea is his sister. This is Sarafina." He beamed down at the cub.

The two sons of Uru peeked out at her and smiled, a new friend! Uru smiled knowingly at her sons, she had had the same reaction when Ahadi had shown up on her doorstep. "These are Taka and Mufasa, our little princes. I'll take Sarafina to Maji and her cub Sarabi right away, Sarabi would love to meet her cousin and new friend."

Habari smiled. "Thank you, Uru. It really is good to see you."

Uru smiled back as Sarafina joined her sons after saying good bye to her parents, the creamy cub instantly jumping onto a giggling Taka. She saw the love still shining strongly in the aqua depths but also saw the love for Lea in there and that made her happier than ever. "Take care Habari."

"You are always welcome to these lands Habari, you and your mate." Ahadi smiled at him. "This is your home and you have every right."

Habari smiled at the lion for the first time and bowed. "I am thankful, King Ahadi. You are a very lucky lion, but I have found my destiny and have no regrets for anything." His eyes rested on Uru and she knew he didn't regret loving her those years ago, or loving her now, even as he loved his mate at the same time. Lea seemed to understand this and she licked her mate affectionately on the cheek as they returned to their home.

Uru and Ahadi led the trio of cubs back to Pride Rock and smiled at a waiting Maji. "This is your niece, Sarafina. Habari wants you to take care of her and he has been told to come and visit whenever he wants with his mate Lea."

Maji beamed at the new cub as she introduced herself to Sarabi and the four cubs ran off to play. He had finally found his destiny and she couldn't be happier for him.


	12. Plans

**Chapter Twelve: Plans**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my OCs.**_

Nyota slumped through the thick trees, grumbling to herself about things she'd just love to do to Kodi but of course she couldn't. Taka was going to take care of him first so that he was in his uncle's good graces. He had to and he would. She stopped and clenched her claws into the loam at her feet in frustration. She couldn't help but wonder if Taka's plan would even work and then where would that leave her if it didn't? The slave of a mad king was where it left her. Her ice blue eyes fell on a blot of cream and dark tan just outside the tree line further ahead and her ears perked on instinct. That had to be a group of some kind of animal as it was moving and the only animal that would gather around here that color was what she was. She padded softly towards the group until she was within earshot and crouched behind one of the immense tree trunks to eavesdrop.

"Anyway, on to the pressing matter: Kodi got us back into the Pridelands, but do we really need him? How has he treated us really? He's beat on at least half of us and used us all. We are just meat for him to fight behind among other things behind us as well… Who here really thinks he deserves to be king?"

Nyota peered around the trunk and saw it was a lanky cream colored lioness with deep red eyes the color of blood that was speaking to the others. Did she really not want her king to be king? She was an outlander after all.

A pale cream lioness with dark green eyes poked her head up above the others to be heard, "But he's much stronger than us! How can we take him down from his throne? Or do you expect him to just step down with a skip in his step humming a tune with an 'Oh of course you can rule now! I killed my brother just to be back where I was years ago because that's how you want it cause I'm such a nice guy!' honestly, Penda, what are you expecting?"

"I can understand your concern, but remember, Moja is no longer a joint ruler. We can only have one king." The red eyed lioness reminded them.

"So you're whacked up father over his sadistic best friend? We'd be better off just ignoring them." A dark tan lioness with light brown eyes laughed.

The other lionesses murmured agreement as Penda scowled.

"Father doesn't like to share but he wouldn't be king! He would just be another player in our little game of life, easily disposed of after his death brawl with Kodi."

"So who'll be king then?" the tan lioness asked hesitantly.

Penda smiled. She was winning them over. "Have you been blind my sisters? We have Zura, Neema, Winju, Azure, Kivuli, Mufasa and Taka to choose from! Whichever lion wins will be king and we will be out from under our oppressors and with little effort on our part."

"What about the queen? What's her name… Neeuta or something? What if she wants her king to stay in power?"

Penda grinned. "Nyota, and I have noticed she has taken a sudden liking to Kodi but if she poses a problem we can easily take care of her."

The cream lioness with dark green eyes grinned, flashing her fangs with bloodlust. "I say we kill her for good measure! She's not one of us anyway so what is she to us?"

Nyota gasped and pressed herself into the smooth bark of her tree. She had actually walking out to greet the group of lionesses to tell them she wanted in on their plan but now she couldn't bear the thought of being as close as she was to them. They wanted to kill her! Not because she was in favor of Kodi, no, but because they didn't care what happened to her as long as Kodi wasn't king anymore. She fought back a sob as she raced on silent feet back through the trees to the waterfall she and Kodi had been moments before. She needed him now, really needed him despite her feelings toward him. Without him she was the Outlanders' lunch and that made her sicker than lying with Kodi. He was actually good at what he did when he was in a mood to be gentle which had only occurred once so far. She paced in swift strides along the stream as she fought with what to do next and ended up running flat out towards Pride Rock as a random thought occurred to her that she was alone in the woods with lionesses that wanted to kill her! She had to find a group of lionesses to hide with that cared about her, Pridelanders. She would have laughed at the similarity to most horror movies back in her old life but it wasn't a laughing matter when it was your reality.

080

Taka sat across from his uncle. The two weren't very different as they hadn't been very different those many years ago when Kodi had been a member of the Pridelands before his exile. Only difference about this comparison was that while they had both been lanky and skinny then they were both muscular now although still lanky. Emerald eyes stared into emerald as the silence between them stretched. Taka had offered his proposition to Kodi to be his next in line, except if he had a male heir of course. Kodi was busy assessing the situation of why his nephew would want to be next in line after it was clear he had become attached to his father since their last meeting and had just witnessed his murder only days ago. Taka was fighting the urge to wrinkle his sharp black nose at the scent that was filling the small den they were sitting in and trying to ignore the fact that it reeked of sex and Nyota… a deadly cocktail for him. He focused instead on the day Kodi had been exiled.

_The bright summer sun beat down on the twin cubs as they tumbled not far from their mother in the lush green grass at the base of the rock that was their home. Uru smiled at them as she lay beside her best friend Maji who was watching two female cubs of her own, her daughter a dark tan and her beautiful niece a tawny cream as they watched the brothers with curious eyes._

"_Mufasa seems like a fine young cub, Uru. He will grow to be strong and big like your father Mohatu." The tan lioness under the shade murmured to the dark brown._

_Uru smiled wider. "Yes, he does take after Mohatu, I guess he gets it from me."_

"_He has his same red brown eyes and the coloring… I wouldn't be surprised if he sprouted a thick red mane when he was older, black wouldn't suit him."_

_Uru nodded her head. "Taka on the other hand will more likely take after his father, he has his eyes and body although a little skinnier than I'd like. But the noses are the same as well, I'm sure he will have a black mane or dark brown. I think I remember father talking about his father having a dark brown mane…"_

_Maji smiled but looked at the light brown cub wrestling with his golden brother. Surely Uru saw he was the spitting image of a certain lion… if the cubs hadn't been born at the same time then she would have had to suspect her best friend of laying with her mate's older brother. Thankfully that wasn't the case. Her ears swiveled at a sound and she swung her head around to look over her shoulder at one of their childhood friends. Speaking of the devil… She didn't know how right she was._

_Kodi watched from a tree a little ways away as his two young nephews played under the queen's watchful gaze. The golden one, Mufasa if he remembered correctly, bounded up to his mother and asked a question that had her talking to Maji for a second before he pressed the matter with a toothy smile. He smiled as the light brown cub joined them and her smiled broadened. He looked just like Kodi had when he was younger… and his smile broadened as well as she nodded when the brown lion asked the same question by the look on his brother's face. Apparently Uru had a soft spot for her other son, the one that reminded her no doubt of his uncle… His emerald eyes followed the dark brown lioness queen as she led her two sons back towards Pride Rock with that Maji and her two cubs, although the pale one wasn't born to her if he was correct, following on their tails. Kodi rose to his paws as well and followed at a distance, blending himself in with the tall golden grass until he reached the clearing beneath Pride Rock, the forms of the two mother lionesses and their cubs already near the top._

_He leapt up to the ridge that led to the rear den and he sat, waiting. He was rewarded as Uru began the descent down Pride Rock for the waterhole, like she did every day after the sun began its descent from the high noon position. He waited for her to be near enough to his perch before sliding in front of her._

"_Good afternoon, my darling Uru." He purred with a grin._

_She paused mid-step before giggling. "Afternoon to you as well, Kodi. Would you care to join me down at the waterhole? I'm quite parched at this time of day." She asked pleasantly with a raised head as she continued past him to her original destination._

_Kodi quickly fell into step beside her. "Of course, time with you is always time well spent."_

_She smirked sideways at him. "What's with all the flattery today Kodi?"_

"_Does there have to be a reason?"_

"_With you, yes. You're like the cubs, you're only charming when you want something."_

"_Only if that something is harder to get than usual." He countered with a smile._

"_Which brings us to my original question, what do you want?" she laughed._

"_What I wanted in the beginning." He replied as they bent down to lap at the refreshing water._

_Uru slowed and stopped all together as she turned her head slowly to stare at the lion beside her._

"_What you wanted in the beginning…."_

_His emerald gaze met her dark gold. "That's right my darling. What I should have had all along."_

_She tensed and ran back toward Pride Rock. But all the other lionesses were out hunting or patrolling. Maji was the only one at the den now with the cubs and she couldn't bring potential harm to them. Ahadi, where was Ahadi? She spotted him across the hills and changed her direction towards him before glancing over her pumping shoulder to see Kodi perched on the first hill, eyes trained on her as she ran with fear in her heart. He knew she was scared of him and that made him smile. She slowed her pace and trotted up to her mate before wordlessly rubbing against him, burying her face in his dark mane and breathing his scent. _He would always be there to protect her_, she told herself, _always_._

_Ahadi looked down at her in worry and pulled back slowly. She ran her eyes along his full body, he had filled out under her father's direction and training so he would be able to protect his home. She found comfort in the fact that he was no longer lanky and thin but muscular. Kodi hadn't had the same training, Ahadi could easily protect her._

"_Uru, what's wrong?"_

_Her head snapped up in surprise that he had spoken. His voice had deepened somewhat as well, he was fully grown now although his voice wasn't as deep as Kodi's thank the Great Spirit._

"_It's nothing, I just haven't seen you all day and had the urge to come find you. I hope I didn't interrupt something important?" she apologized._

_He chuckled. "Nothing important, no. At least not as important as you or the cubs. Are you sure they and you are alright?"_

_She nodded and forced herself to loosen up._

"_Good," he nodded with satisfaction, "I'll meet you back at Pride Rock in a little bit then."_

_He turned and started walking with Zuzu who was frantically flying about. Obviously she was flying in after being sent by some animal in trouble again. She didn't see why they just had her as a full time majordomo but pushed the thought aside. Another Pridelander needed her mate's help. She turned to leave and slowly continued back toward Pride Rock. She looked around warily before climbing the incline, headed to the main den. She was passing where Kodi had ambushed her on her way to the waterhole when she heard a sniffling. It sounded like Taka…_

_She followed the sound around the main rock of Pride Rock and peered around the corner to see Taka sitting with his small tail curled tightly around his little paws, the tell-tale glistening of tears streaking down his furry cheeks. She heard her claws lightly scrap against the rock floor but restrained herself from confronting who had harmed him before knowing more about the situation._

_Kodi paced slowly before the cub with a remorseful look on his long face._

"_Poor Taka, you must know who you father has picked to be the next king. Who has he taken on more patrols, who has he taken to more lessons?"_

"_No! He said he hasn't decided yet. He hasn't decided…" Taka tried to protest._

"_Wrong! He has always favored your brother! It doesn't matter who was born first in the case of twins, it matters who looks the part and Mufasa looks almost just like Mohatu did. You already know who you look like." He said a little quieter._

"_But…"_

"_There is no room for two brothers to rule together, dear Taka. I tell you this only because I see you truly want to be king and take care of these lands. You must kill Mufasa!" the older lion whispered._

"_No! Mufasa and I love each other! We would never do anything to hurt each other, he wouldn't force me to leave my home, Uncle."_

"_Your love for your brother will be your undoing. It's better to kill him while he is still young and you stand a chance! Look at me and your father, at one time I could best him in every way, but he has changed and you share our traits of lanky build. Mufasa has more of your mother in him though, the bloodline directly from Mohatu and therefore the better stockier build. No matter how much training you go through you won't be able to beat him in his adulthood by your paws." Kodi warned._

_Taka stood and ran around the corner right into Uru. She wrapped her paws around the shaking bundle she loved so much._

"_Mom! I wasn't going to do it! I swear, I'd never hurt Mufasa!" he stammered._

_She patted him and licked his little head to comfort her son. "Hush, hush Taka, I know, I heard everything. It's okay now, I'm here."_

_He calmed and she glared up at Kodi. "How could you scar him like that? We haven't decided who to name king yet, they haven't had all their lessons. You aren't the Kodi I once knew. The Kodi I first met was honorable and noble."_

"_And the first to recognized you for the beauty you were. Remember that first day we came to Pride Rock? I was the one who wanted to spend time with you, not Ahadi. He thought the whole idea was worthless and wanted to go meander with the other young adult lionesses, not a group of cubs!"_

_Uru narrowed her eyes and was about to strike out but he leapt at her, faster than she could react. She managed to shove Taka behind her before she was pinned on her side by a growling Kodi._

_He continued in a low growl. "You were the one I loved and still do! I was the one who wanted you, throne or no throne!"_

"_Get off of me." She said in a low voice. "Taka is watching and I am your queen."_

"_Is that a threat?"_

"_Get off of her now or I will do more than threaten you brother."_

_Kodi looked up to see a snarling Ahadi. He returned the snarl. "You never wanted her! I wanted her from the beginning!"_

"_She chose who she wanted." Ahadi lunged at his brother and shoved him off his mate. Uru scrambled to her feet and rushed over to shield Taka from what was happening._

_He gripped her foreleg with a paw and looked up at her with new tears running from his bright green eyes. "Mom… are you hurt?"_

"_No, Taka, no I'm okay. Are you alright?" she soothed._

_He nodded and nuzzled her leg. "What's Daddy doing to Uncle?"_

"_Nothing you need to ever worry about honey, okay? You don't worry a bit about what he's doing."_

_She glanced over her shoulder and saw Ahadi force Kodi to the ground to be kicked to the side._

_Kodi lashed out to barely miss Ahadi's ear and for Ahadi to slash down towards his brother's face. His claws dragged across his closed eyes and his nose._

_Kodi broke away and raised a paw to his three fresh wounds as they leaked bright red blood. He growled up at Ahadi who roared. "Brother, you have worn your welcome and as King of the Pridelands I hereby banish you from these lands for trying to force yourself on my mate! I don't ever want to see you here again!" there was a hint of sadness in the king's voice but if Kodi heard it he ignored it and glared at his younger brother with hatred._

"_I will leave, but don't expect me to be gone for long." He growled before staggering past Uru and Taka. Taka reached out a small paw towards his uncle and a small grin passed over the scared lion's face._

Taka hadn't known exactly what Kodi had been doing that day but as he got older he accepted that he was never going to see him again and gradually became like him over the years. Until now. Now he would be the lion his father wanted him to be, the lion the Pridelands needed him to be. He would exact justice for his father and avenge his death and his mother's depression. He would make them proud.

Kodi tapped his chin with an extended claw and puckered his lips, drawing out the point of answering his nephew. Taka thought he'd be old and gray when he finally answered, then he exhaled a long sigh.

"Taka, are you even the same lion that wanted to be king so badly back then? Are you uncorrupted by love and devotion so that you'd do anything to be king?"

Taka had his answer already planned out. "I am devoted to those who deserve my loyalty, and I still crave kingship but it depends on who is in the throne on what I'd do to replace them."

Kodi arched an eyebrow. "So, if I gave you the coveted position of next in line, you wouldn't try to kill me anytime soon?"

"Of course not, Uncle. You deserve the throne after all you went through with Father." Taka answered simply. "As I deserve it when you retire for what I went through."

"What you went through? What exactly did _you_ go through so that you deserve it and not Zura, Neema or Azure?"

"Father was going to pick Mufasa no matter how Nyota influenced him to reconsider if my physical condition improved or not. I was destined just as you'd warned me I would be to be second best to him. Mufasa was the favorite."

"But not in your mother's eyes." Kodi mumbled to himself.

"What about Mother?" Taka asked, not hearing the whole sentence.

Kodi waved the question away. "Nothing. Anyway, you do understand you'll have to prove to me you remain the little cub you once were and not Ahadi's little golden boy."

"If you haven't noticed, Mufasa was the golden boy of the litter." Taka spat.

Kodi chuckled deep in his broad chest. "Yes, he did get Mohatu's golden glow, didn't he? Maybe Uru's family just wanted golden males. But a test is still going to be in effect before you are declared next in line."

"Fine." Taka growled. "What test will it be?"

Kodi resumed his pondering. "Well, let's see… you're friends have been talking amongst the lionesses, have they not?"

"They do enjoy talking with the ladies, yes."

"I want you to put a stop to it. But first I want you to listen in on what they've been talking about and report _everything_ to me."

Taka's eyes widened. The king knew about their planning but he shouldn't know much since he was asking Taka to report back to him. He jumped to his paws and looked to the entrance of the den.

"Uh, of course Uncle, I'll go ask them about it now. I wish I had been listening earlier to save the time…"

"Just go now Taka. Oh, and if you see Nyota out and about near the trees send her to me. I'd like to have a word with her and didn't get the chance earlier." Kodi turned and went to Moja who was lounging on the slab that was reserved for the king and queen.

Taka watched his Uncle prod the one-eyed lion awake and paused on his way out into the sunlight. They were still sharing the role of leader, weren't they? It was going to be tricky getting rid of both of them but what if he couldn't and his friends couldn't either? He'd be their last hope if whatever Kivuli was planning failed. The responsibility that would rest on his shoulders worried him but filled his chest with pride at the same time. He liked the idea of being the pride's last hope but he had to prove himself before he got the chance to get that responsibility.

He padded out of the den and scanned the area below the precipice that jutted from the large structure of Pride Rock and, once he spotted the red head of his brother with the black smudge of Kivuli, he ran down the path to the ground and raced to where the group rested under three trees that grew close to each other, creating a large spot of cool shade.

Mufasa looked up as the dark russet lion slowed down in front of them panting. "What is the matter brother?" his red-brown eyes searched the gold and green of the fields before searching his brothers long face. "Tell me."

Sarabi and Sarafina came up on either side of Mufasa with equally worried faces. Sarafina stepped closer. "Taka? Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Just… tired…" he cleared his throat and shook his silky mane out before stepping past Sarafina to his brother. "I've come from talking with Uncle…"

"What were you doing that for?" Mufasa roared, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Temper, temper, brother. It was all strategic no love or bonding involved. We were planning on one of us getting close to him, remember? He saw himself in me so I figured I was naturally the best choice for the position and all I have to do is tell him some fake plan you were planning to gain his trust and make sure you don't speak of it again."

"We were gathering the lionesses from both prides to perform a revolution of sorts against him. They want to choose the next king though, Penda says. We have been discussing a contest of sorts against the two pride's males and we've just sent her off to tell the other lionesses she's gathered with Zira." Mufasa informed him.

"I'm not telling Uncle that, brother, think of something not threatening or calculated or whatever." Taka flopped down and closed his eyes.

Sarabi and Mufasa looked down at him with a confused expression. "Why don't you think of something yourself then?" Sarabi demanded, "We have been stressed as it is! This is the first chance we have gotten to rest and now you're going off on your own with your damned uncle, you got yourself in your position, you figure it out."

She turned and padded stiffly over to where Sarafina lay and lay down with her back to the males, closing her eyes and focusing on sleep.

Taka lifted his head and scowled in her direction. "Whether you like it or not, Sarabi, we were all put in this position by Kodi and we all have to work together when we are all involved. I could make something up, but if the lionesses you've gathered don't know what to say when he starts asking questions, believe me, he will, you will all die with me."

Sarabi's head jerked over her shoulder and she growled low. "Don't you dare try and drag us into this madness you've thought up…"

Mufasa stepped between the two and frowned. "Sarabi, we talked about getting close to my uncle, remember? And Taka was the prime choice in my mind, him or Winju at least. They are the ones uncle would trust most out of us and he's right. If one of us falls under uncle, we all go with them." He turned back to his brother. "Tell him we were going to ambush him on one of his walks with Nyota, she can get herself out of being involved as she honestly has no idea about it. That should be safe for now."

Taka nodded and slowly stood to his paws. He bowed his head slightly and headed back to Pride Rock.

080

As Pride Rock jutted on the horizon, growing larger as she grew closer, Nyota was almost completely out of breath. She had to find protection. She scanned the area for any lounging lionesses but couldn't find any with warm and welcoming eyes, no faces she recognized from the Pridelands, all Outlanders. She kept running even as her legs screamed for her to stop, even as her paws throbbed from her pounding stride, she didn't stop until she was at the base of Pride Rock.

She slowed to a staggering halt and collapsed to the ground, rolling from her belly to her side with a thud. Her vision was fuzzy and tripled as she tried to see if help was nearby. She saw a tan figure running toward her and immediately scrambled to try to protect herself but relaxed as the lionesses warm and worried orange eyes scanned her limp, heaving body.

"Maji…help…" she rasped.

"Nyota, what happened?" she sniffed her body and wouldn't get anything by nature, sweat and mating.

Nyota shook her head, or thumped it against the ground a few times given her condition. "Not… be..cause… of… Kodi… Outlanders are… going to rebel…"

Maji nodded her head. "Yes," she whispered, "Mufasa and the others are planning with them to join forces and get rid of Kodi and Moja. Don't worry, I'll get you to a den to rest before I take you to Kodi, you won't have to worry about him for much longer. Sarabi tells me the plans are moving along smoothly."

The older lioness gently gripped the scruff of Nyota's neck fur in her teeth and hoisted her over her back before slowly making her way to her den separate from the main den. It was around the back by a small pool of water and shaded from view, half of the entrance covered by a canopy of leafy tendrils from the shrubbery above it. Maji pushed her way through and laid her limp burden in her large nest of long grass and licked the gray lionesses brow.

Nyota strained as she tried to sit up. She had to tell Maji what the Outlanders were going to do to her, that they were going to kill her for sport if not for being queen!

"Maji… Kodi!" Kodi had to be told! He had to protect me! He was the only one!

But the older dark lioness pressed her paw into the queen's side and shushed her, stroking her dark grey pelt in a soothing motion. "Hush now, everything with be alright. You just need to rest and then worry about what's going on, okay? You're safe here, you're safe now."

Nyota stopped trying to get up and gave in to her exhaustion. She was the most tired she had ever been and had probably just escaped death's icy clutches for all she knew for sure. When she was well rested she would find Kivuli and Mufasa and Taka and talk to them before going to Kodi, she had to think rationally. She couldn't just jump from the pot to the fire as her father used to say, you had to think before you acted. She let her eyes slowly close and finally drifted into the black abyss of slumber.

_**Sorry it took forever to update, had the chapter almost ready to go but my laptop was being used by a family member for like ever. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long, the story is starting to close, the climax is around the corner! I'm just surprised this is one of my popular fics and I owe it all to you my readers! =D thnx so much for reading and please leave a review and Happy Thanksgiving/Turkey Day to everyone!**_


	13. Choosing Sides

**Chapter Thirteen: Choosing Sides**

_**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs, nothing of the Lion King. Enjoy!**_

Taka padded up to the main cave of Pride Rock and peeked in to see Moja watching Kodi pace around in front of him. If Taka was anything like his uncle that meant the Lion King was irritated at something.

"Kodi, what is bothering you, tell me!" Moja growled in a low, seemingly uninterested tone. His one pale green eye flashed with annoyance, revealing his true emotions.

Taka leaned a little closer to catch what his uncle would say.

"It's Nyota. I left after our little retreat into the trees to give her space. I thought she'd have returned by now, where could she be? You don't think something happened to her, do you?" Kodi exclaimed, pausing with one paw raised in mid-step before his co-leader.

Moja sighed. "When did you start caring if she was alright or not? Isn't she just a toy you wanted to play with for a while?"

Kodi's eyes narrowed. "She is my queen. I, as her mate, must worry about her, she is mine to protect and love."

Moja's eye widened, his jaw dropping in shock. "You aren't serious about her, are you?"

"She is a lovely lioness, and wanted by more than one of our young lions, she is to be coveted. She is my prize of the Pridelands and she is rather adorable to have around." Kodi mumbled as he resumed pacing.

Moja stood and shook himself before sitting and beginning to clean his paws. "My friend, if you're so worried about your little _prize_ why don't you go and find her?"

Taka sat up against one of the large rocks and scanned the grassy fields around the front of Pride Rock. Nyota was out alone? How long had she been gone? Was she hurt? Was she in danger? He tilted his head back into the cave just as Kodi began speaking again.

"I was hoping she was on her way back and didn't want to be away when she got back."

"Apparently she hasn't. Why don't you send someone to find her or leave me and Kazuri to watch for her if she comes back before you find her."

Kodi growled and scraped his claws against the stone floor of the cave. "I think I will. She just better not be where I'm starting to think she is."

Moja smiled with an evil glint in his eye. "You don't suppose she'd be cheating on you, the mighty Lion King, do you?"

"Moja, I know you'd hope she is. You are the head of punishment for that sort of thing." Kodi said with a small grin. "I do love your demonstrations."

"A mate should always be loyal foremost to their partner." Moja laughed. "Like I and Kazuri are."

"Yes, you two are a match made in Hell." Kodi laughed as he started to head out of the cave.

Taka ran a little ways down Pride Rock and turned, pretending he was just now getting back so his uncle wouldn't suspect he had been eavesdropping.

Kodi spotted his nephew as he padded up slowly and nodded at him to speak. "What did you find out?"

"They had been planning an ambush but were unable to complete the process of course, your majesty." Taka replied as he bowed low, face placid of emotion to hide his concern for Nyota.

Kodi nodded. "Yes, you will continue to be my mole and I will grant you being next in line after I die and you will take my place by Moja or his heir if he chooses one." He started down Pride Rock.

Taka followed his uncle and cleared his throat, catching his uncle's attention.

"What?"

"Where are you going?" Taka asked innocently.

"To find my mate, she hasn't returned yet." Kodi replied simply.

Taka nodded. "May I join the search then? It will cover more ground and as the queen she should be found immediately in case she is injured."

Kodi's eyes narrowed. "You are attracted to her, are you not?"

"Yes, but she is your mate and I will not touch her." Taka assured him. "Nor will I ever, even when you are gone. You have nothing to fear from me or Mufasa, he is infatuated with Sarabi."

"And who do you wish for a mate?"

"No one right now. None appear to be worthy at this time, I want a strong lioness who can hold her ground, like Kazuri does." Taka answered.

Kodi nodded. "Fine, you search the plains, I'll take the area behind Pride Rock."

Taka nodded and raced off into the tall grassy fields spanning the front of Pride rock. Kodi watched his nephew as he disappeared within the shifting sea of grass in the chilling wind. The sun was setting, it had been too long for Nyota to just be walking around, something had happened. He could feel it.

He turned and raced off to where he and Nyota had been by the stream and sniffed the air. Their scent trails were faint but he could still follow it. He picked up her's along the border line of trees and slowly followed along it, nose close to the ground to catch the faint aroma of rain that was her scent.

After a while the trail stopped at an area where the tree line thinned and the grasslands could be seen clearly while she would have been covered from view. He scanned the area with sharp, calculating eyes and found nothing unusual, nothing bent out of place or broken. There were no signs of a struggle but he could catch the underlying scent of fear. Not the fear of seeing another predator in the distance, but fear of something close and life-threatening. She had felt in danger. His eyes darkened as his pupils dilated in anger.

Her scent then traced back along the trees and probably led back to where they had been. Her scent was stronger than his had been. She had been there after leaving this spot. He looked up at the clearing straight ahead, where she would have seen the danger.

He padded slowly out from the cover of the trees and caught a mingling of scents on the cool breeze that ruffled his thick black mane. It was the smell of his lionesses.

He growled as a particular scent caught his nose. In amongst the strong aroma of bloodlust was Penda, Moja's daughter.

With a roar he raced back along the trees to pick his mate's scent up again. If Penda or any of the other lionesses had touched a hair on his mate, he would personally flay them before the others for treason. And he would enjoy every bit of it. In the back of his mind he was aware he had bonded with his little pet and actually felt possessive of her as he had never felt towards his former mates, some still among his pride. But now was not the time for rainbows and butterflies of their relationship. Now was the time for defending and bloodshed.

He picked up her stronger scent trail and as he ran along it he realized it was headed straight to Pride Rock and strong with fear and desperation. So why hadn't she reached Pride Rock yet? He hadn't seen her on his way here either. Something else had happened. But her scent trail suddenly stopped and he couldn't find it anywhere as he ran in circles around where it ended. He roared again and inhaled her fain scent deeply. He _had_ to find her.

His head rose to look up at Pride Rock. It was a few leaps away and some other lionesses, both his and the natives, had come to see why he had roared. What could have happened that she hadn't reached Pride Rock when it was literally this close? Unless, someone got to her first. She must have been exhausted from the long run and hysteria. Easy prey.

Fresh anger washed over him and his fur rose with his fury, his claws digging into the rocky ground. He let out another fierce roar to call Moja and padded up to the jutting rock overlooking the grasslands. He roared to his nephew and was answered shortly after by the younger lion. He turned to his co-leader as he emerged from the main cave.

"Did you find her?" Moja asked, trying to judge Kodi's sudden rage. "Was she with another lion?"

"No, she was in trouble and her trail ended not far from Pride Rock, she was in the rocky area right behind us. I also found what she had been scared of along the tree line where we were at." Kodi growled.

Moja stepped up beside his friend and looked out at where Taka was racing back to them. His eye didn't leave the young russet lion. "What was it? A rogue?"

Kodi shook his head. "Your daughter, Penda. She was with other of our number and the spot they had met at was strong with bloodlust. They want to kill and they want to kill someone in specific."

"You think they want to kill Nyota? They wouldn't dare… not my little Penda…" Moja mumbled, trying to make sense of it all.

"Jua was pretty upset I chose Nyota instead of one of our number, I doubt she was the only one feeling that way."

Taka padded up to join them, panting from the run. "What is it, did you find her?"

Kodi growled. "I caught her scent along with some of my lionesses with bloodlust. She ran but her trail ended just short of Pride Rock. Someone has taken her. I just don't know who. But when I find out, they will scream."

080

Nyota woke to find herself by a pool of sweet smelling water. She groggily raised her head and sniffed. She tried swallowing but her throat was drier than a desert. A shadow bled out from the surrounding dark landscape and she jumped.

"It's only me, Maji, you're safe." The tan lioness patted the young blue-grey lioness's matted head fur and motioned toward the pool. "You must be dehydrated so I brought you out here in the cooler air of the night and so you could drink when you woke up. Here, let me help you."

Nyota felt herself being gripped by her neck fur but was too tired to move herself so she consented to being dragged to the shallow end of the pool. She was laid down with her muzzle in the water and she let her tongue fall out of her mouth into the dark cool water. It instantly gained a life of its own and she was lapping like a mad woman, splashing water drops over her face in the messy process. She was slightly embarrassed but Maji only smiled kindly.

"You ran pretty far yesterday, didn't you? Were you trying to escape and ran into trouble?"

Nyota weakly shook her head and submerged her whole muzzle in the cool pool before shaking it dry. "I was with Kodi and after he left I went for a walk. The Outlander lionesses are plotting to pit Moja and Kodi against each other so they only have to fight a single threat that is weaker than they are now. Then they're going to pick the one they want to be king."

Maji nodded. "Mufasa's and the other's plan to overthrow Kodi. They are rallying lionesses from both sides for the fight if they need them. They plan on having a contest of who should be king after that."

Nyota's eyes widened. "Their plan? Are they _stupid_!"

Maji furrowed her brow. "What?"

Nyota struggled to her feet, almost keeling over until Maji pressed against her side for support.

"The lionesses don't want Mufasa or Taka as their king, they will probably pick one of their own. And they don't just want Moja and Kodi dead." Nyota pushed away from the older confused lioness.

"What? But that's the plan…"

"Do they really trust Outlanders who pride themselves in killing? Do you know how many think I need to be dead too? Surely you all aren't so blind…" Nyota turned toward Pride Rock which wasn't that far away. "I need help and you need a new plan." She started padding determinedly toward Pride Rock.

080

Penda looked with wide eyes at the Lion King as he glared at her with rage. The other lionesses were there too, all the ones conspiring to kill the one they faced.

"Are you innocent of these crimes?" the king growled at the group.

The cream colored lioness looked around at the others who were looking to her for guidance, all with wide eyes. Her sister wasn't there though, was she? Yes, she could blame her.

"N-no, we are not directly. We were only following Zira…" she began.

Kodi roared for silence. "Her scent was nowhere near where you gathered.

So he knew they had gathered in the field? How had he found out? She studied her paws, she would have to tread carefully.

"No… she wasn't. She was with the others, the ones who follow Ahadi's sons." She glanced up to meet Kodi's eyes.

He glanced over at where Taka and Mufasa were sitting with Sarabi, Sarafina and Kivuli. "Really?"

Penda nodded eagerly. "Of course, we wouldn't go against you by ourselves and we weren't even really considering it. Ahadi's sons want you dead, not us. Zira just wants to be queen, she's following Taka's orders!"

Zira glared at her sister. "That's not true! Taka doesn't even talk to me."

"But you want him to!" Penda growled.

"That's not the same thing, Penda, how can she be conspiring with my heir if he doesn't choose her company?" Kodi said in a dead tone.

"Heir?" Penda's head shot back to the dark lion padding toward her. "What… when?"

"When he proved his loyalty lied with me and only me. Moja, your daughter is accused of treason and has tried to blame your other daughter, what do you think we should do?"

Penda shook her head. "No… no… no!" she stood and stepped closer to her father. "Daddy, no, it's not true…. You can trust me…"

"You blamed your own sister, Penda, your sister!" he growled, not meeting her eyes.

Kazuri turned away with tears in her eyes. "Kodi, she will face the consequences of treason."

"Not yet though, Nyota is still missing." Kodi said. "She might be the one who took her."

Penda shook her head. "No, I didn't touch her. It was the others that wanted to kill her, I could care less. Kill them for that, not me!"

The others gasped and shrunk under their king's harsh glare.

"So be it, you will all die."

Penda turned back to her father and mother, trying to meet their eyes but failing. "Daddy, please… Neema…"

The pale gold lion only walked away, not able to face her fate.

She moaned as tears formed in her eyes. She needed a way out. Her eyes fell on the red maned gold lion, Mufasa. He was afraid like she was. "Please…" she whispered. He looked from her to Kodi and back, a plan forming in his head.

"The plan." He mouthed and nodded.

He wanted to do it now? Well, now would actually be the perfect time. She turned to the lionesses and got the closest one's attention. "The plan, we have to do it now." She whispered.

The frightened pale lioness nodded and quickly spread the decision. When Penda turned back to Mufasa she saw he had already spread the word to the other lionesses. It was now or never.

080

Winju was on the far side of the gathering when he heard the word the plan was going to be executed now. What plan? Were they going to kill Kodi and Moja? What about Nyota? He may not be speaking to his brother but he still cared for the dark lioness. His golden eyes scanned the surrounding lioness and he saw they were all tensing. Getting ready to attack? More likely so, and he didn't want to get caught up in the bloodshed. They couldn't all want Kodi dead, could they?

He nudged Azure and padded away from the group towards the back of Pride Rock, Jua following the pair.

"Winju, what's the matter?" Jua purred, rubbing against him affectionately.

"I'm just worried about Nyota, she can't be far if she was taken. Maybe she was going to be used as leverage against Kodi or something."

"Why do you care about her so much?" Jua grumbled, scrunching up her nose.

"She's my friend, she cared about me and I think I still care about her." Winju answered.

Azure padded between them. "We can search for her, maybe Kodi missed something."

Winju nodded. "Let's go."

They padded through the boulders and rocky ground behind Pride Rock and were headed toward the tree line where Nyota had last been seen when they saw a figure slowly approaching them. Winju stopped the others and padded up to the dark figure.

"Hello? Who are you?" he sniffed but the figure was down wind, no scent reached his nose.

The figure stopped and tilted its dark head. "W-Winju? Is that you?"

"Nyota?" Winju rushed forward to find it was in fact the dark queen.

Azure ran up to support her and looked up at Winju. "Come on, man, we have to get her to Kodi before he wails on Penda and the others. She should know what exactly went down, you know?"

The white lion nodded and supported her other side. Jua stood there and narrowed her eyes.

"Jua, run ahead and tell Kodi his mate needs him." Winju said as the moved Nyota up Pride Rock at a faster pace than she had been able to do alone.

"Why should I?" she asked, lashing her tail back and forth. "I hate her."

"What? Why?" Winju asked as he hurried to get the weak queen up the steep slope.

"Because, you're so worried about her when she left you in the Gorge. She didn't even drag your body to Pride Rock for burial or help, she left you for the scavengers. I was and have been there for you. Why don't you care about me?" she asked.

"I just don't like you like that. Azure, help Ny onto my back and run ahead to tell Kodi." Winju ordered, preoccupied with his faint friend.

Jua growled as Azure complied and raced off to the king.

"Just forget it Jua, besides, I've seen the way Neema looks at you. He's the one you were meant for." Winju said as he jogged up Pride Rock.

080

Kodi raised his paw, claws fully extended, to swipe Penda when Azure jumped in front of him. The king stopped just short of the young lion's face and glowered at the panting lioin.

"What is it?"

"Nyota, she needs you… Winju is bringing… her here." He pointed towards where the white lion was making his way towards the gathered lionesses.

Kodi looked over at the two and ran to meet them.

Winju bowed his head and gently lowered the dark lioness to the ground. "She was staggering up here when we saw her, your majesty."

Kodi licked her cheek, causing her to open her eyes.

"Kodi…"

"What is it, little one?" Kodi asked, inspecting her body for injury.

"Penda… wants to kill me… help…" she struggled to a hunched over sitting position and leaned against him.

Winju frowned but said nothing, Azure coming to stand beside him, Jua joining the other lionesses.

Kodi stroked her back. "Don't worry, she will pay for what she was planning."

"I need to talk with Mufasa." She said, eyes hardening with determination.

He nodded. "Of course, my dear."

He led her to the dark gold lion and she padded over to where only Mufasa would hear her.

"You can't do the plan now, Taka's taking care of it. Please, do you think they'd accept you as their king? I overheard them, they want to kill me for being Kodi's mate." She whispered urgently.

Mufasa's red-brown eyes widened. "What? But…" he looked up to see Penda tensing for a pounce. "No!" he roared.

The native Pridelanders looked to his call with some of the Outlanders, some not in on the plan at all. But Penda was set on not dying, not now. She launched herself at Kodi's back with a few of the accused.

Winju instantly tackled Penda and Taka swatted another dark tan lioness away, snarling at each other.

Kodi turned with vengeance in his eyes and with a deafening roar shoved Winju off Penda to slash her face.

Nyota turned at the commotion and gasped as Kodi continued to shred the red eyed cream lioness with forceful, deliberate strikes, making her scream in agony as she burned in pain. She swiped at him but she was losing blood, her major arteries being slashed, one by one, so that her limbs fell useless to the blood soaking ground. She continued to live though, the mad king's intention, so that she felt the searing pain that was reserved for traitors to his rule and his mate.

He roared and scanned the others, spotting the others Taka, Winju, Azure and a few of the accused stopped as they had attacked him. He padded away from Penda's body, the last glimmers of life fading from her red eyes, turning them to the color of mud.

"Those who attacked me have paid their price, the others will be granted another chance. They will be closely watched and whoever else has thoughts of killing me, will die a slower more painful death than Penda just suffered." He turned to Nyota and nuzzled her gently. "Are you alright my queen?"

She nodded.

"Then come, let us return to our den." He let her lean on him as he led her to their secluded den, leaving the rest with the gore born of treason.

Moja went and collected Penda's body, hoisting the shredded, bloody, limp corpse to his back. He padded away with a tear streaked Kazuri and wide eyed Zira to bury his daughter. Neema joined them on the outskirts of the gathering, head bowed in remorse.

Kivuli turned to Mufasa. "Why did we stop the attack?" he asked quietly.

"Nyota told us to. Penda and the others wanted her to die for being Kodi's mate, we couldn't let them gain control. They want another lion, one of them, to be king in place of Kodi. That is not our goal." Mufasa answered in the same hushed tone.

"I had no idea… of course, that isn't." Kivuli quickly agreed. "We'll have to be more careful though, he's suspicious now."

Mufasa nodded. "Let's retire for the night. We can face this in the morning."

"You and the girl's go ahead, I want to speak to Winju for a moment." Kivuli watched the other's pad away to their den and turned to his brother who was sitting beside that Azure.

He padded slowly up to them and was received by a scowling Azure.

"What do you want?" the blue eyed lion growled.

"Easy Azure, he probably just wants to talk." Winju sighed, eyes focused on where Nyota had disappeared with Kodi into the main den. He wondered what they were doing now, not being intimate that was for sure, not in Nyota's condition. He just couldn't see the Lion King getting cuddly with his mate.

"Winju, can I speak with you alone? It's about Nyota." Kivuli asked, looking sideways at the still scowling Azure.

Winju turned to his twin and thought for a moment before nodding. "Sure."

He padded with the black lion through the tall grass, weaving a path under the twinkling stars.

"Winju, thank you for finding Nyota." Kivuli finally said once they were far enough away from Pride Rock.

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for her. I just find it hard to believe that Penda would do that, what of her father, he's loyal to Kodi. I mean, they are co-leaders, she would have had to kill him too."

"She wanted them both dead. She hated them."

Winju glanced over at the darker lion. "How do you know?"

"She told me. I hate them too, I mean, they killed a great king. Don't you remember The Lion King? Back home we used to love watching it. We always felt bad when Mufasa died. Don't you feel bad that Ahadi died?" Kivuli pressed.

Winju looked to the side but didn't say anything.

"Don't you realize you ended up on the wrong side here? We need to focus on getting home with Stella, not making buddies with the wrong crowd. They're all bad company."

Winju snarled, silencing Kivuli. "Azure is the only one I really like, he's my only real friend. Not Jua, Neema, Zira or Zura. None of them matter to me, I still remember the movies from home and little Todd, but they aren't at that point in the storyline yet."

Kivuli sighed when a sudden thought came to him. "Wait, the storyline. It never talked about Kodi, we only found out about him here. He wasn't in the books or the movies… why did he not invade then? Why now?"

Winju paused mid-step with his brother. "I don't really know, it never really crossed my mind. I think he was waiting for something to happen."

"What? Do you have any idea what he was waiting to happen?"

Winju tilted his head as he thought and narrowed his eyes, focusing on his memory. He vaguely remembered a conversation he had overheard the pride's co-leaders having as he passed their cave on his way to meet Azure and Zura for a hunt.

"_What is it Kodi?" Moja asked his friend._

"_It's that new lion, I think he could be of use." Kodi answered._

_Winju paused by the cave at the mention of him and decided to eavesdrop to find out what they were talking about exactly._

"_What about him?" Moja asked as he flopped to his side on the dirt floor, the dull thud carrying out to Winju's perked ears._

"_Remember what that old monkey said when he passed through here?"_

"_Not particularly, no."_

_Kodi chuckled. "I just remembered it the other day, I hardly thought letting that old baboon live and much less for information about our future would actually be useful. But I think it will be."_

"_He was just a mad monkey with hardly enough meat to be worth killing is all, my friend, don't start seeing what isn't there." Moja yawned._

"_No, he said that purity will lead to kingship. Don't you see, we want to rule my brother's lands, right?"_

"_And?"_

"_Purity, at first I thought it meant a soul that was pure but pure also means white."_

_Winju's eyes widened and he could hear Moja shuffled on the ground, probably shifting into an upright position._

"_White…"_

"_He's the sign. With him we have been granted the opening we have been waiting for to strike!" Kodi continued, encouraged by his friend's reaction._

"_But we don't have our information about the Prideland's numbers, how can we put so much on the line of an old baboons ramblings to live another day?"_

"_Purity leads to kingship." Kodi purred confidently._

_Winju backed away and turned to see Azure looking for him. The light grey lion bounded up and smiled. "Hey buddy, where you been? Zura and I are ready to hunt!"_

"_Okay, coming." Winju said with one last glance over his shoulder at the leader's cave where the voices were still mumbling._

Winju gasped, catching Kivuli's attention. "What is it, what did you remember?"

"Me…" he looked over with wide eyes at his brother. "Rafiki had told them something before he made it here to the Pridelands so they wouldn't kill him. They let him live afterwards because he was just too scrawny and didn't really care about what he prophesized but it meant something when Jua brought me to them."

"What? What did he tell them?" Kivuli pressed, eager to find out the information.

"He had told them that purity leads to kingship. Kodi interpreted it as my white fur being the purity in the prophecy. They had been waiting to get closer to the Pridelanders for years but with me there Kodi was willing to bet everything on the prophecy and he was right!" Winju sat down and stared at his paws. The Pridelands were doomed because of him.

"Winju, maybe we can use that against him. We need to tell Mufasa and the others about this, we have to stop him. For the Pridelands and for Nyota, she's his as long as she breathes because he's in power. We have to end this. Join us." Kivuli placed his paw on his twin's back.

The white lion peered up at his brother and nodded. "But what about Azure, he doesn't really like them either."

"Our arms are open to those against him." Kivuli assured him with a small smile. "Besides, he's your best friend now, so I can't hate him."

Winju smiled. "Thanks…"

They turned and padded back towards Pride Rock, brothers once again.

_**Review please!**_


	14. A New Hope

**Chapter Fourteen: A New Hope**

_**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs, nothing of the Lion King. Enjoy!**_

Uru padded from her new cave she shared with Maji and turned to look up at the rising sun as it began to leak its light across the Pridelands, the dark of the night shooting away from its amber rays. She sighed and continued on her way to the waterhole, unusually thirsty this morning after another of her dreams of Ahadi. It was almost like he was still with her, lying beside her just to share their warmth as she slept, breathing his strong scent and knowing he was watching over her. Then it was the same as her body forced her to awake to the gloomy reality he had left behind, not able to keep her from it forever. It was like cold, savage and jagged claws ripped her insides apart every morning anew, working slowly on her heart until she wanted to scream.

Mornings used to be there thing, hers and Ahadi's. They would wake up bright and early for the morning patrol together to relieve the last night's watch group then listen to the animals' concerns one by one. It had gotten easier when Zuzu offered to help them with her gift of flight and speed, and they had looked forward to much more time being spent together.

She felt cheated and heartbroken. He wasn't supposed to die! That was how she felt anyway, although then she felt selfish. Many mates had lost their partners before in painful ways and lived on with their responsibility. It was how their mate would have wanted it, how Ahadi would have wanted it.

A tear escaped her hold on it as she opened her eyes, just now realizing she had screwed them shut as she crouched by the waterhole, the memories too much to bear to look at the place they had shared so much of their time. The glistening drop streaked down her cheek and fell into the water at her paws to ripple the surface. If only she could turn back time….

She bit her lip to stop anymore tears and lowered her muzzle to lap up the water, closing her eyes and remembering when Ahadi and she would drink every morning together. She imagined he was beside her now, could hear the gentle laps of his tongue smacking the water in between hers…

She paused.

The other lapping continued before stopping as well close by to her left.

The former queen opened her eyes and slowly glanced over to see a dark lion along the bank looking over at her. He wasn't like the males that Kodi had brought with his pride, his nose was broad and rounded instead of the sharp point like Kodi's and while he did look similar to Zura and Azure in facial features his fur was somewhat darker. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to reduce the shadows and noticed that his eyes were the color of the summer sky and his mane was a dark brown with…tan fur?

The lion smiled and slowly padded over. Uru couldn't even gasp in shock, let alone form a sentence if even a word came to mind to say.

"Uru…it's been too long…"

"Habari… what are you doing here?" Uru finally choked out as she sat up.

Habari sat beside her and looked down at their reflections. "Remember when we used to play here every day? I missed this spot… the memories tied here."

"Answer my question."

He frowned and looked at her with concern filled eyes. "I know what happened and knew you'd take it rough, you two were so in love… I just don't know how it happened."

Uru shifted her weight from paw to paw and looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it. You need to leave, now. Before he sees you…"

"Who? Who's he? Is he the new king, the one that killed Ahadi or is Mufasa or Taka king now?" Habari asked, leaning to try to look at her eyes, knowing they would give him a hint of what went down.

"Stop asking questions! You don't need to know the answers. You need to leave." She turned to him with her face rigid as stone in a frown and narrowed eyes.

"You don't mean that. And I can stay here as long as I want! I'm going to see my family, I'm going to ask Maji what's going on and check on my daughter." He said as he stood and loped off to Pride Rock.

The dark lioness lost her resolve and ran after him. "No! You have to leave! Don't go near Pride Rock!"

Her childhood friend didn't stop or even acknowledge her as he neared the large rock structure. Maji was walking towards them with Sarabi and Sarafina when she spotted her brother.

"Habari? What are you doing here?" she asked as she greeted the tan lion with a nudge against his neck.

He returned the nudge and nuzzled a smiling Sarafina. "I came to check on you all, I heard of Ahadi's passing."

Maji's smile instantly fell. "I suppose you would have found out eventually with your ties here. What all do you know?"

Habari frowned, they were hiding something. "I just know that Ahadi has died. I want to know what happened though, tell me."

"It's not my place to. You either ask Uru, Mufasa, Taka or the new king himself." Maji replied, raising her head regally and continuing to the waterhole. "Uru?"

"Did you tell him anything?" the former queen rasped, claws partially extended.

Maji wasn't sure why her claws were ready to slip out for blood but backed up just to be safe, there was no telling what a widowed lioness would do after the loss of her beloved. "I told him it is not my place to say."

"But I will ask your sons and if they give me the same run around I will go directly to the king himself for the answers." Habari declared as he looked at the two friends. "You're all hiding something and the more you avoid the answers the more I will persist on finding them."

"He'll kill you." Uru whispered. "Especially you. He killed Ahadi, so why wouldn't he kill you…." she turned away and failed to keep her tears at bay, letting them fall freely.

Habari shook his head. "I'm going to be fine, I am not going to oppose his title of the throne, as much as I wanted to be king before." He chuckled dryly, remembering the days when Mohatu had betrothed them for the future only to change his mind at Uru's pleading. "I'll let you go to the waterhole now, do you know where Mufasa and Taka might be?"

Sarabi and Sarafina stepped up beside him. "We aren't thirsty, we can take you to them. We just came from there."

080

Mufasa continued to sit on his boulder and stare over at Pride Rock a few yards away. Kodi hadn't emerged yet, only Moja and Kazuri. He heard the yawning of two of his friends waking and glanced over his shoulder at them.

The black head of Kivuli was the first to emerge from their shelter in the boulder crevice followed by the shaking white head of Winju.

"Morning, how did you sleep?" he asked them as they padded over to sit by his boulder.

Winju smiled up at him. "Much better than I have been. Azure and I shared a den with Zura and his sister Jua. She was always trying to make a move on me."

Kivuli laughed at his brother's grimace. "Ha! You finally get a stalker and you don't want her!"

Winju grinned up at his brother and play growled. "Shut up! At least I have a stalker!"

He launched himself at his still laughing brother, instigating a wrestling match that the golden former prince could only stare dumbfounded at. He and Taka hadn't played like that in a while now, although they had talked about it after Ahadi started spending more quality time with them when Nyota and the two lions in the dirt below him arrived. He sighed to himself and looked back up at his former den where his brother was now along with the others that followed Kodi.

The main den only had his pride's lionesses sleeping there now, the natives choosing to reside elsewhere with the change in leadership. That and the males Moja, his son Neema and now Taka, Winju saying that the other two slept elsewhere with Jua. That could be useful in the near future but not as useful as having Taka on the other side and Winju on theirs. Taka would look after Nyota and help them, he knew he would. Taka had always been so gentle as a young cub. He had hardened after what happened with his uncle but he had also begun to repair the rift that had grown between his brother and his father before his father's death. He hoped his old brother was returning, they needed him.

Kivuli finally pinned his brother and laughed as he flopped onto his side beside his smiling brother. "It's great to have you back, bro."

Winju grinned and rubbed his paw along the back of his head. "Good to be back!"

080

Azure padded from the crevice then and paused mid-step at the sight of his best friend lying beside the black lion laughing and panting. What had they been doing? They looked like they had just fought off a pack of wild dogs while also looking like they were the happiest lions in the world. How did that add up? He saw the scratch marks in the dirt and realized with a frown that they had been play wrestling. That was their thing from back in the Outlands.

When Winju still didn't notice he had approached them from the crevice, the pale gray lion snarled and turned to see the former golden prince Mufasa transfixed with Pride Rock. He rolled his pale blue eyes and looked at the structure himself, though not because he wanted to be back there, although he'd probably have to at some point. Truthfully, he didn't want to be in these lands but back in his homelands. Winju made his homesickness and hurt go away but it seemed they were growing apart.

A low growl threatened to rumble in his chest and he quickly swallowed the impulse. He would _not_ let himself be hurt by losing someone he cared about again. He would just have to remind his friend who's land they were on and who they had to support.

He glared at the bright red eyed lion as he shoved Winju again, saying something about a stalker, causing Winju to roll to his paws and growl at his brother, a toothy smile quickly spreading as he prepared another play fight round.

He turned and leapt between the rocks surrounding their little dirt clearing and loped off to Pride Rock, not caring if that gold lion saw him, it was none of his business what Azure was planning.

080

Nyota slowly opened her eyes, letting her body get used to being awake after the previous day's and night's events. She was still really exhausted and didn't want to press it by moving much.

She yawned and stretched her limbs out, rejoicing in the pain of relieving the sore muscles. That must have been some run. Come to think of it, a lot of stuff was fuzzy between seeing the lionesses in the clearing and finally reaching Pride Rock.

She shook her head and let her bangs fall in front of her vision as she laid her head back on the den floor and felt something warm run along her shoulders and down her back. It felt rough yet soothing, like brushing hair. She smiled and purred subconsciously before turning to look up into gentle emerald eyes.

"Good morning."

"Taka, what are you doing here?" Nyota asked with a small laugh. She was kinda expecting to see someone else with those mesmerizing green eyes.

"Uncle has assigned me to watch over you while he is away on business for the morning. If he isn't back by noon then be Zura's charge. Or Neema's, I forget but mainly one of us will be with you until you are feeling one-hundred percent better." He replied with a smirk.

"Great, at least none of those lionesses are in charge of me this time. Any chance Jua was in that group meeting?"

"She was not. She has been rather obsessed with Winju to care much about the news with the lionesses. Why?" he raised an eyebrow lazily.

Nyota pushed herself into a sitting position and began licking her matted fur clean. Between licks she mumbled, "I don't trust her, she doesn't like me either. I think it's because Winju and I were friends and she felt like she had to be jealous or something."

Taka turned to gaze into the main den so she couldn't see the expression in his eyes that he knew why she felt threatened because he was like the white lion in that sense.

"She can tell by the way he looks at you that he cares for you and is jealous because of it." He stated. "Would you like to go get a drink from the waterhole or do you feel like you should stay in the den?"

Nyota stood and shook herself slightly, nice and clean at last. "I can use a drink, let's go to the waterhole."

"Alright, Neema and Zura are there now so we can just meet up with them then in case one of us is needed elsewhere, you'll have someone to help you." he thought to himself as he walked beside her as she entered the main den and headed out into the sunlight.

"Wow," she chuckled, "I forgot how bright the sun could be."

"Really?" Taka asked with a frown. She hadn't been asleep that long.

"Yeah, I passed out yesterday morning after being found by Maji and taken to a safe spot to rest. It was shaded so I missed all the bright sunshine after I woke up to night time." She explained with a small smile as she let the sun warm her fur and muscles before padding over to him. "Anyway, I may feel like I was in the arctic circle but my throat says I was trapped in the Sahara Desert! Let's get to the waterhole."

"Arctic circle?" he whispered with a confused face before following her down Pride Rock.

As they neared the waterhole, Zura looked up and padded over. Nyota noticed Neema was laying on a rock over the waterhole with a paw draped over as if he had been reaching at his reflection, his face long and mopey.

"Your Highness," Zura bowed to Nyota with a paw elegantly extended. "I am most shocked at Penda's actions towards you as well as the other's in planning to… well, anyway, Taka I feel to tell you that Neema is taking the death pretty hard. I trust you won't mention anything about it around him for a while?"

"Why would he do that?" Nyota asked as she padded over to the water and bent to lap some up.

Zura narrowed his eyes at Taka. "I don't know but it seems like something he would do."

Nyota paused and frowned. It was something the old Taka, the Scar Taka, would do. But not her Taka, the one she had managed to keep the same, surely? She rose and licked her muzzle dry. "I don't think our Taka would do such a hurtful thing. He suffered a death recently too, you know."

Zura frowned and sighed. "True. Anyway, would you like to go for a walk? We should have to exercise so the muscles don't cramp."

Nyota looked a little confused but nodded. She didn't know if she could walk far but she did know that after long rests you needed to use your muscles. People in the hospital had to do it after all.

"Don't worry," Zura chuckled at her expression. "We won't overdo it. Coming Taka?"

Taka walked up beside Nyota and looked down his nose at him. "Of course I am. Whenever Nyota is ready."

Nyota looked between them before choosing a random direction. "You guys are acting weird…" she mumbled as they walked on either side of her. "Just don't start chewing each other until I'm not between you, okay? Not in the mood to be chewed on."

"Of course not, you are in no condition to fight." Zura purred assuredly.

They walked through the tall grass for a while before turning onto the shorter grassy hills and Nyota slowed her pace to enjoy the soft, springy grass. They were nearing the rocky periphery of the Gorge and she didn't really want to go there just yet. She hadn't been there since that last time with that stampede….

Taka noticed this and cocked his head. "We don't have to go over there."

Nyota shook her head and looked over at the sand colored boulders around the deep ravine. "I came this way for a reason. I may have picked a random direction, I may not have meant to come this way, but everything happens for a reason, right? I think I have to face that place, and better now that we know Winju isn't dead. We shouldn't be afraid of the Gorge anymore. No one has died there, and no one will anytime soon." She stated firmly, even as the image of a movie screen of a crying Simba trying to wake up a limp and lifeless Mufasa because of an evil Scar on the dusty Gorge floor flashed through her mind. Things were different and even though they hadn't stayed fine like they had planned they would always turn out for the better. After all, all Disney movies were like that, good triumphing over evil and no gore.

But they had seen gore, they had seen a body literally ripped apart and blood spilling in the rocky soil. This wasn't one of Disney's movies anymore. It was real life.

Nyota stopped as the reality of it all smacked her in the face finally. She could die here! Any of them could, even though they were strangers to this world. Winju almost did, so why not her? She felt like a small child, death was always happening to someone else, someone older and who had lived a full life. It never happened to children. That was what she felt like she had been deluded with while still knowing the reality of death. It happened to anyone, just not her, not the person thinking about it and lecturing about it. And it happened anywhere, even a different world that may very well not even be real.

She frowned. It very well may not be real. She could be in a coma and having a nightmare that had the illusion of months passing in a matter of days of possibly hours. How could she know the truth?

She had come here after her father had given her that medallion from Africa on his photo expedition. How had Winju and Kivuli gotten here? They had said they had been watching the Lion King with their younger cousin and woke up here, right?

This could all be an illusion in her oxygen deprived brain. She could die here and die in real life or live here and be a vegetable in real life….

She had to ask Rafiki about this, he would know since he had helped them in the past.

She looked up to see Taka and Zura looking at her worriedly.

"Is everything alright, my queen?" Zura asked.

Nyota nodded and resumed walking. "Just thinking about my home is all."

"Where were you from?" the pale gold lion asked as they continued their walk towards the Gorge.

"A place by the ocean. It was nice. I miss it sometimes though I haven't thought about it much." She commented.

Taka nodded. "I remember you telling me that. The ocean isn't dreadfully far, maybe your home isn't either?"

Nyota shook her head. "My home is far. On the other side of the ocean here."

"Maybe we could just go and visit the ocean if you miss it. It can help with your homesickness perhaps?" he offered instead.

She thought for a moment and looked in the distance where the sparkling ocean lay and sighed with longing. "That sounds nice. It really does." She smiled sadly. "Maybe we can get the gang together and go on a vacation there in a bit. We can ask them when we get back to Pride Rock."

"You will have to ask the king for permission, my queen." Zura reminded the two formally.

Nyota's smile flattened. "Yes, of course, I can't have him worrying if I up and disappear again. He'd kill everyone I'm sure judging by how he was going to kill all his lionesses from his pride in the Outlands…. I wouldn't want that to happen because of me leaving." She could never leave as long as he was there. He wouldn't let her. Whether it be directly or indirectly, he would shackle her to the Pridelands, _his_ Pridelands.

They arrived at the edge of the Gorge and Nyota could see every crag and boulder clearly. She could even spot the spot they had practice fought with a young and sickly Taka and the spot the stampede had surprised them, the ledge Winju had spotted and flung himself from to save his brother from the same fate, a little further down she saw the spot a future Simba would wait for his father's fake surprise and the ledge where Mufasa would deposit his son before being carried down further, then the incline where he would be flung from by his own brother. She bit back a gasp and bit her lip hard to keep back the tears of that knowledge. That wouldn't happen now, not anymore. That was all she could tell herself to keep back the hysterics, but what if that wasn't true anymore? What if Kodi provoked something of the like? Maybe even the same plan of killing Mufasa there in that way?

She paused. What if they used that plan?

She let her teeth release her lip as she thought it out. They could lure the two leaders down there and instigate a stampede that would crush them. They would need bait for the two of them and they'd need more help than Mufasa and the girls.

Taka looked down at her and waved Neema along to give them privacy before bending down towards her. "Nyota, what is it? You're planning something, aren't you?"

She nodded.

"What?" he urged.

"A plan to get rid of Kodi and Moja, but we need more support for it to work perfectly. I just don't know who."

"Maybe the lionesses Mufasa was talking with?" he suggested.

Nyota's eyes widened in shock. "They wanted to kill me!"

"Only along the lines of that plan. I'm sure we can convince them not to lay a claw on you." Taka simpered.

She looked down at the Gorge floor then over at the dot of Pride Rock in the distance. Finally she reluctantly nodded. "Okay, we can try."

"Plus, with Winju on our side now, most of them will do what he says. They favor him over the other males of their pride, at least the majority." Taka confirmed and then continued walking with Nyota following.

She kept her eyes down on her paws as she mechanically put one in front of the other. In her human life she wouldn't have ever planned to trick someone, especially not into their own murder. But everything was different now, every moral she knew cast aside for survival in the animal world. Even though she was the top of the food chain by species, she was still in danger for her life, and her sanity.

If they were able to restore order to the Pridelands, if they were able to return to their homes in the human world, if this ever came to a stop, would she still be the same person she was going into this? She didn't know. She could only hope that she was.

_**Please review, I love to get feedback =)**_


	15. One Chance

**Chapter Fifteen: One Chance**

_**Wow, thanks guys! I'm so happy for the reviews! ^^ and scarlover9090 my thoughts exactly lol**_

_**And I wanted to update this sooner, like the 7**__**th**__** cuz that was my b-day and all but I've been so busy packing for the move that I had no time on the computer whatsoever so sorry for the wait. =/**_

Azure stared across at the cream lioness, azure eyes searching the depths of dark green, waiting to see what she thought of his proposed solution to both their problems.

Ellie slowly grinned. "You know, for a youngster like yourself, that's pretty ingenious. Of course, you'll have to make sure we can do it cleanly so you'll have to listen to them closely. They aren't stupid."

"They seem pretty stupid to me with how they nearly got killed last night. They'll have to keep their wits about them if they want to survive in this pride." Azure stated blandly.

"Especially with you scheming around. Of course, I'll be more than happy to help, I'd love to kill…" she paused as she saw they were no longer alone and finished instead with, "a zebra or two with you. Shall we head out now?"

The young grey lion instantly caught on and rose to his paws. "That'd be best, the herd is still grazing in the shaded fields." He turned and saw the pair of lions that had interrupted their very private conversation and quickly padded away, not even stopping to speak to his best friend.

Ellie followed with a smirk towards the white lion and a casual flick of the tail before disappearing after her companion.

Mufasa went to stretch out in the shade of Pride Rock with Kivuli and Winju, yawning loudly. "I don't know what we're going to do now. Who can we really trust now?"

Winju rolled onto his back and reached towards the rock above them, scraping it thoughtfully with his extended claws. "Well, we know Azure is on our side at least, he's my best friend. Jua and Zura I'm not so sure about. He did love Penda. I think so at least. It was pretty confusing back in the Outlands who was after who all the time with so many lionesses running around."

His brother nodded. "We can't put too much faith in any of them now though, not after last night. I think we should trust Taka for now, he and Ny are up to something and we shouldn't try anything of our own until we know what they're going to be doing. We don't want another screw up."

Mufasa nodded. "True, I just wish Taka would talk to us more."

Winju twisted back to his belly. "Well, we can talk with Nyota right? Get information from her? Azure and I can do it tonight after our route of patrolling. We'll have to report to Kodi anyway."

Kivuli smiled as he swatted his brother's ear, causing the white lion to scowl at him, preparing to tackle his twin in another round of wrestling.

"That sounds like a great plan. You're trusted more than Muffy or I am as it is so it won't raise suspicions." He chuckled as he shoved his brother away from him and sat down next to their dark golden friend.

Sarafina bounded around a boulder to them and beamed at them all. "Mufasa, there's someone here to see you." she smiled over her shoulder as a tan lion with a dark brown mane and dark blue eyes padded into the group's view. "You remember my dad, Habari."

Mufasa rose to his feet and padded up to the other lion. "Vaguely. What brings you here? Mother and Maji should be around here somewhere…"

"I already saw them earlier, I actually came to speak with you. I heard that Ahadi has been replaced, but not by you or your brother. Who is your new king?" the older lion asked.

"My uncle."

Habari's jaw dropped before his eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted into an open snarl, baring his gleaming fangs in hatred. "Kodi… He did this to Uru?"

Mufasa nodded, not aware of his mother's former betrothed's feelings toward her.

"I knew she should have never talked to those two when they joined the pride." Habari continued to growl. "They both wouldn't take no for an answer, now look where she is…"

Kivuli frowned. "What do you mean, 'look where she is'?"

"Mated to the older one now is what I mean! No wonder she's as depressed as she is. Who knows what he's done to her…" he started to rant in response.

Kivuli quickly interrupted. "Uru isn't queen anymore. Kodi chose a different queen, my best friend."

Habari stopped and jerked his head in the dark lion's direction. "What? That doesn't sound like him… he was obsessed with Uru…"

"Well, he changed his mind I suppose. I just want him to leave her alone, my best friend that is, Nyota. She's so miserable but with the Outlanders outnumbering us she isn't safe without him right now. I can see how she hates needing him like that, I know I sure do." Kivuli continued.

Habari calmed himself in a few deep breaths and looked back to Mufasa. "So what are you doing about it?"

"Taka has gotten close to him and working on something with Nyota, we were going to find out tonight. Our friend Winju was taken into his pride a while back under certain circumstances so he's trusted as well and was going to ask them after he and his friend patrolled." He answered.

The tan lion nodded. "That sounds good and if you need any help count me in. I always hated that guy and would love to rip his throat out."

Mufasa nodded solemnly. "You probably deserve to more than any of us but he did kill my father. You might have to wait in line to rip him apart."

"Fair enough." He said with a flip of his mane. "I'm going to stay in my old cave by the backside of Pride Rock, he doesn't know where it is. Only I and Maji do, we found it together when we were young with your mother."

Mufasa nodded and lay back down. "Just don't be found, if any of his lionesses spot you you'll be their next meal."

Habari nodded and turned and bounded away to the cave he spoke about, leaving the three lions alone with Sarafina.

"Guys, I'm going to go tell Sarabi the new plan, she got stopped by Kazuri for the next hunting party. I luckily just narrowly escaped but we'll be on it together no doubt. Well, see ya later." The cream lioness chirped before padding away with some excited swirls of her tail.

Kivuli went back to pestering Winju and Mufasa laid his chin on his fore paws, watching with a bored expression.

Winju tackled his brother before pouncing away. "Hey guys, I'm going to go see if Azure is done talking with that lioness and see what's up, okay? I'll see ya after the patrol later tonight."

The other two watched him pad away and the white lion disappeared around the bend, following the scent of his best friend. He found the dawn grey lion just as the cream lioness he had been talking to turned and walked away.

Winju leapt onto his friend's back, startling the young lion and laughed. "Gotcha! So who is she?" he asked, his dark gold eyes indicating the older lioness.

Azure frowned and shrugged. "Just a lioness, her name's Ellie."

"I see." Winju said with a knowing smile as he released Azure from his pinned position and sat beside him. "And just what were you talking about with _Ellie_?"

"Oh… uh, nothing important, just about the herds and all that." He said a distractedly.

Winju decided not to press the subject and shook himself off. "So, it's about time we started the patrol, right?"

Azure looked up at the sun in the darkening sky. "I suppose so, it is about dusk."

They padded off towards the waterhole and curved around to start at the Elephant Graveyard. Azure kept his dark blue eyes on his toes as they crossed the shadowed lands where the elephants went to die in peace. Of course they were only met by the hungry jaws of the hyena packs, driven there by their hunger for blood, having killed for sport in the past. Winju, however; scanned the bone littered area for any signs of the hyenas, never trusting of the dogs since their role in The Lion King.

Azure noticed the other's fixation on the gloominess to their left and raised an eyebrow. "What's with the obsession? It's not like they've made any trouble before."

Winju frowned but kept the fact that his brother had killed three of them in cold blood thinking they had eaten him in the Gorge. "Well, they weren't exactly quiet before. They were banned here by Ahadi after trying to kill the old baboon for sport so…"

"Oh, I didn't know that." Azure looked up and scanned the area. "They must hate the lions then, huh?"

Winju nodded, knowing exactly how much they just loved the lions in the movie back in his old life. He recalled the one called Banzai calling them stinky and ugly with Shenzi and Ed. He wondered if they were the ones that had been killed by his brother or if they were looking back at him from the shadows he was studying so closely.

Azure nudged him in the shoulder, getting his attention before pointing in the direction of a massive elephant skull. "I thought I saw something move over there a second ago."

Winju noted that it was still well within their allotted territory so it was no problem of theirs yet.

"That's still in their land, we should head on, I want to finish as soon as possible."

"Okay."

They passed the last of the eerily shadowed place and trotted to the edge of tree line leading into thick jungle.

It was all quiet, no signs of rogues or other ominous scents around the border, so the pair headed around the fields and toward the towering dark form of Pride Rock.

080

Nyota paced around the main den where the Outlander lionesses were already retiring for the night. She wanted to go and see her other friends and check on how they were doing but Kodi, Moja and Kazuri insisted she stay inside for her health. But she couldn't lay down like some pregnant mother, she had to be moving.

She placed one paw in front of the other, idly remembering how odd it had seemed when she had first done the whole walking thing with the new body that first day. It was second nature now, although she couldn't do much now thanks to her unwanted mate.

Her eyes rose at the sound of approaching paws and she inwardly winced as the her mate walked through the opening to the den and right up to her. She had hoped to be able to have time to hide before he came home but there wasn't time for that now, was there? She turned toward him and forced a smile.

"My dear, what are you doing up and about? You're supposed to be resting." He chided with an amused smile.

Nyota allowed him to nudge her with his one-sided affection. "I just couldn't lay still so I decided to get some exercise and here I am, pacing the cave." she grumbled.

"I see, hopefully this is a good sign. I'll have to consult with that monkey though, where is that old wind bag anyway?" the dark king peered around the cave to see if the monkey in question happened to be hiding out with all the blood thirsty lionesses of the pride.

Nyota rolled her eyes, fat chance that was going to happen.

"I can go to his tree if you'd like? I could use the walk." She offered, desperate to get out in the open air again.

But the king shook his head. "No, we'll just go to him in the morning."

They both looked over at the entrance of the den as a pair of lions padded up, the dusk patrol.

"Ah, Winju, Azure, how was the northern border today?"

Azure bowed to the pair before reporting, "It was all clear, Your Majesty."

"Good, you may go to rest now."

Winju stepped forward and quickly bowed. "Um, Your Majesty? I was wondering if I can talk with Nyota outside for a little bit, you know, catch up on some things and all that."

As Kodi started to protest and insist on her getting more rest, Nyota quickly agreed. "Why I was about to ask if I could have a word with you, too. Kodi, it will only be a bit and there's plenty of nighttime left for me to get more rest."

Without waiting for his approval, she trotted out of the den with Winju on her heels. She turned once they were around a boulder and out of earshot and whispered, "What is it?"

Winju leaned toward her and asked, "We were wondering what you and Taka have been up to. The other's need to know the plan if there is one and if there isn't one they want to start one."

Nyota frowned and sat back, looking around as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure.

"What is it?" Winju asked knowingly. "I knew you guys were up to something!"

Sighing, she gave in. "Remember the scene with Scar in the Gorge and Simba?"

He nodded.

"Okay, well, we were planning on having our own Gorge scene."

Winju furrowed his brow. "With Kodi and Moja being Mufasa, and Taka being himself….but who's gonna be Simba?"

Nyota cleared her throat and sat a little straighter then flashed her friend with a smile. "Yours truly."

Winju instantly disagreed. "No way! We can't put you out in the open like that! What if you get hurt?"

"It's okay, we aren't gonna have me in the midst of the stampede, just having me spread my scent, lay the trap, scream for help, leap to this little cranny we found…." she vaguely explained.

"Fine." Winju growled. "I'll tell the others, but I'm only agreeing because it's too crazy not to work."

They both broke out in laughter at the figure of speech they were so familiar with and Nyota padded back toward the den.

"I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?"

"Wait, when is all this happening?"

She smiled nervously. "Tomorrow afternoon. That's the only time I have by myself and Taka. We haven't let Neema or Zura hear us planning but I'll request you as Taka's partner in chaperoning me around the Pridelands tomorrow after the visit with Rafiki."

Winju nodded as he started to walk to where Mufasa and Kivuli slept.

080

Azure poked his head from the shadows of his hiding spot on the ledge above them and shrunk back when his white friend scanned the area looking for him, calling out his name before frowning and continuing on to his brother and Mufasa. So that was their master scheme.

He couldn't believe it but couldn't agree with them more. It was the perfect way to get rid of the ones that stood in between him and happiness.

080

Nyota smiled at Kodi as she flopped down on her side beside him and nuzzled up to his warm side. At least he was comfortable to sleep beside on the cold African nights.

"What did he want to discuss with you my love?" he asked as he draped his head across her neck and shoulders, nuzzling into the longer fur there.

"Just some things on how we first met and the first days in the Pridelands, nothing important, but I am feeling rather tired now from all that pacing."

He chuckled. "Well then, let us sleep and in the morning we can go see Rafiki."

He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep while the dark grey lioness beside him stared at the stars through the high opening of their den. She wondered if Mohatu and Ahadi were looking down at them now and what they'd think of their son aka grandson and her plan and how it might turn out. It did affect the kingdom they had loved and cared for after all.

Her thoughts then led to all the things that could go wrong. First of all, there were two grown targets instead of one. That would be their biggest issue, tricking them both. All it took was one finding out and they'd all be dead for treason.

One thing was for sure, they'd only have one chance for this to work. One slip up, one mistake, and they all went down in flames.

080

Taka gazed up at the morning sun as it rose above the grey clouds of dawn. Today was the day they ended the reign of his uncle and brought order to his home, _his_ kingdom. His emerald eyes shifted over to where the two dots of Kodi and Nyota could be seen as they strode into the fields below Pride Rock, on their way to meet Rafiki to assess her recovery of health.

Yes, then she would be handed over to him and Winju today, Zura and Neema being granted an unexpected day off. It was perfect. They'd be able to set up the trap and then they would be stopped in the spot of the Gorge where they had been stopped those many months ago. Of course, they would be past the ledge that could fit the three of them and in the spot where they had trained, the walls golden and smooth except for the small ledge where Nyota would drape herself from. The kings would have to rescue her while avoiding being trampled by the wildebeests. Then they'd have to make it up the steep slopes around that area while watching out for the crazed, horned bodies and steel hooves.

A sinister smile crept across his lips. The perfect plan, one he would have been proud of.

080

Rafiki cracked open another fruit and pushed the sloshy juice under Nyota's muzzle, encouraging her to drink. In a hushed voice he whispered, "Things have turned out quite differently then I figured they would, eh?"

Nyota's eyes widened. "You know about the change?" she whispered back.

"Of course, how else would you have gotten here? Of course, I didn't plan on things being this crazy! Ha ha ha!" he laughed as he carried the now empty fruit carcass away.

Kodi raised an eyebrow but smiled warmly as Nyota smiled over at him.

"I will have to leave on the patrol soon, my dear." He reminded her as he came to sit closer to her.

"I'll be fine with Taka and Winju. You go on and do your kingly duties."

His dark green eyes shifted over to the white lion a few feet away who was scanning the area protectively and he reluctantly nodded. "I suppose I can trust him. I'd have preferred Zura to be watching over you with Taka though."

She smirked. "Well, a girl deserves some time with her close friends, don't you agree?"

Rafiki popped up behind them and patted the tops of their heads. "Yes! She needs to have some fun for herself to recover properly from the trauma! You care for her health, yes? Then let her be herself for today and you worry about the problems of the herds!" he winked at Nyota who smiled graciously back.

"See? Witch doctor's orders, now go, I'll be fine."

Finally Kodi left to join with Moja and Neema and Nyota padded over to Winju.

"Let's go meet up with Taka." She said softly and at his nod they bounded towards the Gorge where Taka was busy with preparations.

Nyota raced through the tall grass until she popped up over a low hill to see the golden brown stone of the Gorge and she smiled to herself. The fate of the Pridelands rested on their shoulders and how their plan went down today and she was ready for it.

Full of confidence, she trotted to one of the sloping inclines that led down to the Gorge's sandy floor. Taka padded up to greet her and smiled as Winju leapt down beside them.

"I have the perfect place for the trap to be set, there is a nook I have shoved a rock to cover that Nyota can hide away in out of sight with no other ledges around period. All you have to do is run where they can see you, then disappear up this slope." He said as he led them to the spot he had prepared.

They looked up to see it was a small crevice that she would crawl through before climbing to higher ground and safety.

"Okay, so what is it they're going to be told? I'm not up for running through a stampede just so they know where I'm at." Nyota said as she padded around the crack, making sure she could get through safely.

Winju thought for a moment and lit up with an idea. "I can run and tell them that you fell down into the Gorge and that you hurt your leg or something."

Nyota frowned. "He might punish you for not helping me yourself though. I don't want him to claw your face because you left me in peril or whatever."

Taka eyed the herds above that could be seen grazing on the grassy plains. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Perhaps, we could be hunting when the herds get startled by something that brings them to a stampede. I would send you for help, Winju, and I would be trying to reach Nyota and caught up in the stampede myself. That makes me more directly involved but it would make it easier for me to kill them both efficiently if the herds don't."

Nyota and Winju looked at each other and back at the russet furred lion. Maybe just because they kept his values with his father and brother pure he was still the problem solving mind he had been in the movies, even though the current problems' answers tended to answer in deaths.

"Okay, they should be patrolling near the Elephant Graveyard about now unless they ran into trouble, which is probably unlikely, Winju." Nyota said as she stretched and started up towards the herds grazing grounds above. "Let's put the plan into action now, come on Taka."

The former prince nodded and leapt from ledge to ledge with the dark lioness as the pale lion raced up the other side and towards the Elephant Graveyard, waiting for the dust to build up before continuing to the kings.

080

Kodi paused at the edge of the gloomy spit of land that was left for the hyenas. There was a fresh scent on the breeze that wasn't lion, it was hyena.

"Moja, why were they hyenas banished to this despicable place again?" he asked with a bored expression.

Moja paused and turned his good eye toward the bone littered land to their left. "I believe they were killing more than they needed to eat."

"Ah, that is just I suppose." Kodi confirmed with a nod. His brother wasn't that bad a king but he still deserved the throne, he would have gotten it back in their homelands.

Moja stopped and perked his ears, turning to look behind them. Kodi knew his friend had better hearing than the others due to his partial blindness with only one eye and stopped beside him.

"What is it?"

"Winju, he's coming towards us at an alarming rate. Taka and Nyota are nowhere to be seen. Something's wrong." The older lion stated, running to meet the white lion.

Kodi quickly followed and stepped forward to the young white lion. "What happened?"

Winju panted and pointed back where he had come from. "Gorge… we were hunting… stampede…Nyota stuck down below... Taka got trapped trying to save her…." He then jolted back through the grass path he had made on his way there, the two leaders hot on his tail.

Winju finally came to a stop along the edge of the Gorge where Nyota was barely hanging from one of the ledges where they couldn't reach her on the other side of the Gorge, Taka struggling to help her up as the wildebeests rampaged inches beneath her scrabbling paws.

"Nyota, Taka, hang on! Kodi and Moja are here to help!" Winju cried out as he shook from his long run, barely able to stand.

Moja patted the young lion on the back. "You're in no shape to help, sit this one out. Kodi, let's get down there and help those two, that ledge won't hold for long." He pointed his nose towards where there were cracks forming beneath the ledge the two were seeking refuge on.

Kodi nodded and scanned the area below them for access to the floor and found a descending incline a few yards back and took it without question. Moja followed him down, keeping his ears in the wind and his eye on the foaming bodies of the herd.

The king leapt into the fray at the next opening and ran as fast as his legs could take him, racing alongside the heated bodies and through the clouds of dust, his sharp green eyes quickly finding the writhing form of his mate a few yards above the stampede. He leapt up to sink his claws into the soft rock and began to claw his way up to her, panting down at the packed bodies below as the thicker part of the herd moved in, blocking immediate escape.

"Kodi!" Nyota cried, tears in her ice blue eyes. "Help me…" she clenched her teeth as she slipped down further from the ledge as it crumbled under her and Taka's weight.

Kodi bit down firmly on Nyota's thick fur scruff until she found a new foot hold and then caught his nephew just as he came sliding down past them.

"Taka, take Nyota to another spot that's safe, I have to find Moja." Kodi growled above the stamping of hooves. "Don't leave her at any costs!"

Taka nodded as he and Nyota released their hold as the next gap in the herd opened up, not wasting any time in heading to Nyota's hiding spot.

Kodi adjusted his grip in the rock, digging his claws in deeper as he searched for the pale tan form of Moja. He relaxed slightly as he saw the older lion jump up beside him.

"Did you find them?" he asked, his breath heavy.

"Yes, but the ledge crumbled, I sent them to find a safer place while I waited for you. let's go." Kodi grunted.

With a nod from Moja they propelled themselves to a clear spot in the stampede and stumbled into a gallop along with the frightened beasts. They searched for the two younger lions' figures along the ravine's edges but saw nothing but the golden brown rock.

080

Nyota panted within their hiding spot, crammed against each other under the present change in their former plan. She scrambled to a better spot in the jagged rocks beyond the crevice opening so Taka could spread out more by the opening.

"That was a little too close for my comfort." Nyota laughed from the adrenaline rush. "Let's not do that again anytime soon, okay?"

Taka nodded from his post as his bright green eyes watched the stampede closely. "Agreed, no more death by stampede for our Pridelands."

Nyota sat in the shade of a boulder and sighed from exhaustion, looking down at her paws. She turned to see that her spot was out of sight from pretty much anywhere and smiled. Kodi wouldn't be able to see her abnormal fur color from the Gorge here. She was safe and Taka and Winju could go through with the rest of the plan without any problems.

080

Azure padded through the spikey rocks along the edge of the Gorge until he saw who he was looking for. He ran up to the sleeping figure and nudged it.

An ice blue eye looked up into navy blue and gasped. "Azure, what are you doing here?"

"Nyota, I heard you were trapped in the stampede. That is why the kings are trying to save you right now, right?" he asked with a frown.

Nyota narrowed her eyes. "Yes… Taka…"

The russet colored lion was instantly at her side. "Ah, Azure, a pleasure it is to see you." he said in a low voice.

"Where are the kings who were sent to rescue you two?" Azure asked, lowering his head, preparing for a fight.

Taka calmly stepped in front of Nyota and smiled at the pale grey lion. "Why, they saved us in deed, although they were a little careless with themselves. Why don't you go and find them so you can help them. I was told to stay with Nyota in a safe place."

Azure nodded. "I suppose that would be a good thing to do."

He stepped carefully towards the crevice leading to the dusty Gorge below and started to push through. Once he was on the other side on the narrow ledge he scanned the stampeding herd below. There was a flash of black and pale gold and he roared to the struggling kings.

"My kings, we are over here!" he turned to see Taka coming out to join him on the ledge. He moved to where he was closer to the crevice and eyed the former prince. "Looks like everyone turned out okay."

Taka snarled but didn't say anything.

Nyota peered out at the two lions and sat back. Did Azure just alert the kings to their position? Why would he do that? What would Taka do about it?

A rock skittered down into her paw and she looked down at it, wondering where it had come from. Her eyes slowly rose to see a beautiful cream lioness with dark forest green eyes smirking down at her.

"My, my, what have we here? A plot to kill the two kings of the mighty Pridelands? Something tells me that they won't appreciate hearing their lovely little pet planned killing them. In fact, you might have returned to square one with King Kodi. I believe that was the role of the sex punching bag." She bared her fangs and leaped through the short distance to tackle the stunned dark grey lioness.

"Taka!" she screamed as she sloppily pushed her paws to put some distance between her and the clawing lioness on top of her.

080

Taka swatted Azure aside as he crouched in the way of the crevice.

"What do you think you're doing? We are freeing the lands of a corrupt and unjust ruler, why would you ever want to stop justification for murder?" he snarled as he slashed the young lion's fore arm that was raised across his face in a block.

"Who are you to play god with justification?"

"Since the moment he murdered my father and before that, tried to rape my mother!" Taka growled low, swiping at the other's paws.

Azure jumped, dodging the claws before slashing at the former prince's side.

Taka shoved the younger lion to the side and leapt on top of the rock forming the crevice, looking down momentarily at the two lionesses below before leaping onto the attacking lioness's back. The startled lioness turned to look at her assailant before she was roughly removed, forced into one of the nearby rocks.

Ellie shook her head to clear it when she caught sight of Azure disappearing over the edge of the Gorge.

080

Azure slipped, losing his footing when Taka shoved him out of the way to get to where Ellie was taking care of the only thing that stood in the way of his and Winju's friendship. His claws scrabbled wildly for the ledge and his eyes widened as he realized he wasn't going to find any foot holds. He turned to look down at the rushing bodies beneath him as he tumbled down towards the hooves and grimaced as pain shot through his body as he continued to make contact with the rocks.

A figure bit down on his shoulder just before he was lost to the sea of bodies and Kodi pulled the younger lion with him to the ledge. He didn't know why the youth was in the Gorge during the stampede but he wasn't about to let the lion die. His emerald eyes searched the dark brown and black sea for Moja but the older lion couldn't be seen. He'd have to wait for him to show up again.

The king huffed as he released the groaning body of Azure near a crevice and forced the rock aside to find Ellie launching herself at a furious Taka with a terrified and panting Nyota behind him.

He roared, stopping the two fighting lions and drawing all eyes to him.

"My king…" Ellie stammered to be silenced by a glare.

"How dare you attack my mate and nephew!" Kodi snarled.

"You don't know the full story…" she tried to explain.

"I just risked my life to save them and now you try and murder them. I don't care what your feud was about, you do not lay a paw on my mate or nephew."

Kodi unsheathed his claws once more as he stalked over to the cowering lioness.

"You don't understand!"

Her eyes widened in alarm as the king dragged his claws down the lioness's side from her neck to her hind leg, her shriek of pain echoing above the beat of the hooves below them.

He turned to Nyota and Taka and lowered his bloody claw. "Are you both alright? I found Azure almost falling into the stampede, what happened?"

Nyota stepped up to him. "Azure showed up when we made it here and then she showed up and just attacked me. Taka made it just in time before she ripped my throat out, I couldn't hold her back any longer."

Kodi's eyes went to the limp body of Azure again and he frowned. "I can't believe Azure would do such a thing without a nudge in that direction. It must have been Ellie's plan, she was a conniving lioness who tricked her former king and betrayed her mate and pride before joining us in the Outlands. It wouldn't surprise me. I'll let the boy live for now." He decided.

Nyota and Taka nodded at his decision before looking at each other with worried expressions. Their plan hadn't succeeded. The Lion King was still alive.

Taka followed his uncle out to the ledge where Azure was still groaning in his unconscious state, Kodi flopping back on his haunches in exhaustion.

"I need a rest." He stated as he lowered himself into a more comfortable laying down position and falling instantly into a deep sleep.

Nyota sat back uncomfortably and frowned. "Taka, what are we going to do? We failed. We failed everybody."

Taka gazed down at his slumbering uncle then back at the stampede below, still raging with increased fervor. "Not quite." He went over and leaned down low to his uncle's ear. "You betrayed your brother and the lioness you claimed to love. You have wronged more than them and many of your own. For that, you will get what you deserve-death."

He shoved his uncle towards the stampede below and looked over the edge to see the body be swallowed up by the river of deadly hooves and pounding bodies.

080

Kodi opened his eyes to a wide meadow and remembered the spot he was lounging at as being where he and Uru had first stood up to Mohatu. His bright green eyes found the dark brown lioness with golden brown eyes gazing lovingly at him.

"My love." He purred.

"My dear Kodi, why did you run from me?"

"I didn't run from you." he answered, confused. "I tried so hard to get you to be mine. Ahadi hadn't even wanted you in the beginning."

She shook her head with an amused smile. "No, you changed. You're not the Kodi I fell in love with. The kings knew you would change just as they knew Ahadi would. They saw it in your names. That is why I chose Ahadi. I saw a vision of us having a wonderful kingdom together with two perfect sons. That is why. That, and that I loved you both the moment I saw you. I couldn't decide on my own."

Kodi frowned as the lovely lioness looked up at the dark sky sadly. "Say hello to Ahadi for me, okay? And be the brothers you once were. For me, okay? Wait for me, together." She nuzzled him affectionately with sadness darkening her eyes before slowly walking away.

"What do you mean?" he called out to her, standing up in alarm that she was leaving. "Don't leave me!"

She laughed lightly. "I never left you, but your time is up and I can't yet follow you where you are headed now."

Kodi raced after her but stopped after she disappeared, walking into the distance. How had she gotten away when she was only walking and he had been running? He looked around him and saw a dark grey lioness approaching him.

"Nyota…" he breathed.

Her ethereal beauty stunned him, she was as beautiful as Uru had been. She flipped her unusual bangs from her face and smiled up at him, her pale grey muzzle glowing in the moonlight, her ice blue eyes shimmering in the starlight.

"Kodi, I'm so sorry it had to end like this, but you aren't the rightful king." She said softly.

Kodi's eyes widened in realization. "You… and Taka…" he stopped. Taka had indeed turned out the way he had intended for him when he was just a cub and he had talked to him about killing his brother while he was still young and weak. Only it wasn't the mirror image of Mohatu he was killing, but him. He nodded. "I accept it."

The haze around the clearing closed in and Nyota rubbed against him lovingly. "For what it matters, you were a great king if not for the killing you did."

080

Nyota raced to the edge after Kodi's body slipped over the edge. She thought she heard him saying something and that there was a pleasant smile on his face as he was shoved to his death. There were no roars of agony, no yells of fury, no screams of pain. He had accepted it.

The thought made her smile although she felt sad for him. He had been treated just as the movie Scar had and that was unjust in its own way. She hadn't been able to save him like she had Taka, but then again she felt like she had. If she and the boys hadn't come he probably wouldn't have invaded his old home and would have lived in the Outlands always loathing his brother and love, that was no way to live. At least now he had some closure and possibly a happier ending with the kings of the past.

"Where's Moja?" she asked, not voicing her thoughts on the king's death.

Taka scanned the now thinning stampede and tapped his chin with an extended claw. "I haven't seen him. Did you?"

She shook her head. "But they came together. He has to be somewhere."

Azure slowly opened his eyes and winced as his body became aware of the searing pain that immobilized his body. He couldn't lift his two left legs and he could feel his fur matted with his own warm, sticky blood. He groaned, drawing two pairs of eyes to him. He whimpered as Taka frowned, his eyes flat and void of emotion as he took a step forward.

Nyota stepped in between the two and scowled at Taka before peering down sympathetically at the injured Azure.

"Did you slip down the edge? It looks like you got hurt pretty bad." She said softly.

Azure looked up at her quizzically and rasped, "Why do you care? Just let Taka kill me… it's what Ellie and I were going to do to you."

She smiled slightly. "But you aren't a cold-blooded killer, why did you stand up for two killers and try to kill us? I just don't understand… Winju was part of our plan too."

"You were taking him away from me!" he growled. "I had everything taken from me, I prayed to my father in the stars with the kings of the past that I could have someone, anyone to be considered family and then Jua brought Winju to the pride. He was just like me, alone. We became best friends but then he remembered he wasn't alone and that he still had friends, still had family. He started spending more time with you and Kivuli and only saw me occasionally. It hurt. And the way he looks at you…it was too much. Then Ellie told me you seven were planning something against the kings and it all fell into place. The king would see favor in me for revealing your scheme and you would all be out of the picture."

Nyota lay down beside the pale lion. "But Azure, Winju was in on it too. Surely you knew that."

"I would have talked him out of it, he would have been pardoned, he would have renounced it…" Azure started.

Nyota shook her head. "Winju hated them for what they did not only to me but to the others and for killing the rightful king, his brother. He would have confessed and taken the death sentence with us or whatever punishment it would have been. Azure, Kodi found out you were trying to kill me with Ellie."

"Where is she?" he asked as he strained to reposition himself on the hard rock.

"He gave her the death sentence for attacking Taka and I, but he pardoned you assuming it was her manipulating you like she did her old pride. Azure, you need to see Rafiki then have a talk with Winju. It doesn't have to be you or us, he doesn't see it that way I'm positive." She said softly, licking his face clean of blood.

Taka grumbled as he stood and looked down as the last of the wildebeests careened through the passage. "That's the last of them, we can go and investigate now."

He slid down the steep incline to the Gorge's floor Nyota in tow. He paused at his uncle's beaten and bloody body and sneered. Nyota leaned down and gently licked the older lion's cheek.

"Why did you do that?" Taka scoffed in disbelief before padding down the Gorge.

"I dunno, impulse. He wasn't always bad, no one is. He was just misguided." She said quietly before thinking to herself, _like you would have been before I came here._

Taka shook his head, shaking his mane out so that some of the silky strands fell around his eyes. "He got what he deserved."

Nyota growled. "I was just being empathetic. He actually cared for me and your mother on some level and at once his brother. I was just saying he wasn't always the snotbag he turned out to be in the end. I was the butt end of his aggressions on more occasions than you were!"

"Then why the kiss goodbye?" Taka snarled before trotting up to a limp body of tan fur. "I see Moja passed."

The fur shifted and one pale green eye glared up at the two. "You two tricked us… the sentence is death!" he stood and bared his fangs.

"How are you still alive?" Nyota screamed, shuffling back with Taka.

"When you go limp, the bruising isn't so bad." The pale lion snarled with a sadistic smile.

Taka crouched in front of Nyota and bared his own fangs. "Ny, run, run away and don't look back!"

Nyota almost laughed at the phrasing but figured he had a point. She turned back to where they had left Azure and scrambled up the incline.

"Azure, we have to go, now."

"Two of my legs are broken and I'm bleeding in numerous places. Just leave me." he sighed.

Nyota growled as she hoisted him to his two good feet. "Get on my back. I'll be a little slow but like I said before, a friend of Winju's is a friend of mine, you're not getting left to die."

"But I tried to kill you…" he grunted as his injured paws were draped over her back.

She finished positioning him and laughed dryly. "And? I'm still alive and like I just said, you're my friend whether you like it or not."

She slowly began climbing through the jagged rocks until she crested the edge and sunk her claws into soft soil and green grass. Azure dug his claws in her thick fur and winced with every movement but held on as she slowly walked towards the dot of Pride Rock, gradually increasing her speed to a jog.

080

Moja leapt at Taka who rose to meet him, their claws sinking into each other's shoulders. Moja snapped at the younger's neck but only bit into his black mane. Taka snapped at his ear but only grazed it.

They continued to snip and bite at each other while trying to slash the other's face or neck, both only trading scratches, nothing serious being dealt to the other.

"You will die you traitorous kit!" Moja growled, shoving his heavier weight into the younger lion.

Taka shoved his feet into the lion's belly and snapped back, "You were the one banished to the Outlands, not me. I'm just taking back what is rightfully mine!" he pushed up and sent the older lion careening into the rock wall, the dull thud of his body hitting the wall then the floor echoing dully through the Gorge.

The younger lion twisted to his paws and eyed the one-eyed lion who was gasping on the ground, slowly working his paws in an attempt to stand.

"Moja, you have a family. Take them back to wherever you came from. Leave my lands and never come back." Taka said as he stood straighter, calmly standing over the felled lion.

Moja glared up at him. "You will die…"

Taka exhaled on a sigh. "Wrong answer."

080

Winju ran up to the two gray figures as they approached Pride Rock.

"Nyota, what happened? Where's Taka, why is Azure on your back and bloody?"

Nyota passed the passed out lion to her friend as she rasped for breath. "Kodi is dead, Moja fighting Taka now, Azure was confused. He thought he had to kill me to have a brotherly relationship with you and ruin our plan and have us all killed or whatever… You need to talk to him when he wakes up but don't be too hard on him. He said he didn't have anyone until you came along. He only wanted a brother, some family."

Winju had frowned at what Nyota had told him Azure had done but it softened to a sad and knowing smile. "Yeah, he lost his dad and was forced into exile by the new king in his old pride's lands. He told me back in the Outlands. I'm sorry Nyota, I should have been with him more."

Nyota shook her head. "It's fine, I'm better off than he is. He slipped when he was trying to prevent Taka from saving me from some lioness named Ellie. Kodi killed Ellie, then Taka shoved Kodi into the stampede. We have to get Azure to Rafiki, where is he?"

Winju pointed to the base of Pride Rock with a raised paw. "He's over there with Mufasa and Habari and the others."

They walked as fast as they could to the group and the wise baboon, laying the now awake Azure by the monkey.

"Heal him." Winju said, eyes focused on his friend's fluttering dark blue eyes.

"Winju? How did I get here?" Azure gasped before a pained wince.

Winju gently placed a snowy paw on his friend's shoulder, careful to avoid his collection of scratches. "It's alright, Nyota brought you here and she told me everything, but it's okay. You don't have to feel bad or anything, we're still brothers."

Azure snapped his eyes up at his friend. "Really? After all I did? I mean, I know how you look at her and all and then there's your real brother…"

"You're my real brother too, you were the only one I had in the Outlands. Now, just do what Rafiki tells you and rest. Don't stress yourself."

Azure nodded as the old baboon rubbed the blood away from the clumps in his fur and dribbled a concoction of sorts into the wounds, causing the lion to wince in renewed pain.

Neema, Zura, Jua and Zira came at the sound of Azure yelping in pain and gasped at the shape he was in.

"What happened to him?" Zura demanded, his dark indigo eyes glaring at the group's members.

"He slipped in the Gorge during the stampede, I was able to get him here though so Rafiki could help him." Nyota explained.

"What was he doing there? Where are the kings?" Jua asked as she examined Azure's scratched and gashed form.

"He came there to kill me, but Kodi forgave him before he slipped himself. We weren't able to find him until after the stampede receded. Taka is searching for Moja." She said as she bowed her head, tears falling freely from her eyes. "I hope he had found safety and returns safely… we need our strong king…"

Neema growled. "He can't be gone, Father can't have died that easily! Come Zira, we will go and help Taka search."

The ruby eyed lioness nodded and followed her older brother as he raced off towards the Gorge.

Zura dug his claws into the soft soil in frustration as he watched Rafiki tend to Azure. "Is he going to be okay?"

Rafiki looked up with a sad smile as he nodded. "He will be fine, his legs have been set and will heal just fine as long as he isn't moved anymore though he will scar in a few places where the cuts were deep. But he will live."

Winju, Jua and Zura sighed in relief at the news and padded away to await the return of the others on the search for Moja.

Nyota stayed behind with Mufasa and Habari.

"What is my brother really doing, Nyota? Certainly Moja isn't too far lost it would take him this long to find him?" Mufasa asked softly.

"Moja wasn't dead, we found him and he was perfectly okay. He avoided being crushed and attacked Taka who told me to run and not look back. I wanted to stay and help but there was Azure to get back to Pride Rock and I think I wouldn't have been more help than hindrance in a fight against Moja." She breathed, her eyes not leaving the forms of the others who had gone to sit in wait for the others.

"Then we await his return as well as the others. I only pray they don't walk in on the killing blow." Mufasa said with a bowed head.

080

Neema raced up to a limping form on the floor of the Gorge. The figure looked up with half lidded emerald eyes fogged over with pain and sorrow.

"Neema… your father… he's…" he looked over his shoulder at the limp body with limbs twisted in uncomfortable positions like he had been trampled alive. "I tried to save him but he was too far gone when I reached him. I am sorry for your loss."

Zira slowly stepped up to the russet furred lion. "And I am sorry for yours, the queen told us of your uncle's fate." She nuzzled him compassionately and he welcomed it with a sad sigh.

"Yes, and I know not of Azure's fate…"

"He was brought back to Pride Rock by Nyota. He will live." Neema said hollowly. "Let's retrieve the bodies so they will have a proper burial."

The others nodded and stiffly walked up to Moja who was hoisted onto his son's strong back before heading deeper in to where Kodi rested, the content smile still on his lips. Zira helped him onto his nephew's back and they walked down until they reached a decent incline leading to the plains by the stream leading to the waterhole. They followed the flowing water to the large waterhole and continued on to the waiting pride around Pride Rock.

A large hole was dug by where Penda had been buried and the two kings were laid side by side with a large red stone shoved into place to mark the grave.

Neema sat with his sister and mother, silently grieving the loss of a second family member while Jua stood before the pride.

"Who will be the king now?" she asked after sniffing away the last of her tears.

Zura spoke up when the others looked at each other confused. "The one the kings named the heir. It is either Moja's son Neema or Kodi's nephew Taka."

The two lions stared calmly at each other as they assessed the other. They both knew that with two kings and no heir permanently indicated and with Nyota not pregnant, it had to be one of them, and the other wasn't going to go down without a fight.

_**Okay, so it took way longer than I thought but this was just difficult to type out the way I wanted it and I'm still not happy with some parts but it worked I guess. Now the only question is who will take the throne? Please leave a review and thank you to those who did, you really made my day when I finally got down to South Carolina and access to internet after being cramped in an overstuffed Jeep! ^^**_


	16. A New King

**Chapter Sixteen: A New King**

_**Once again, thank you to all the readers and the reviews! Especially to bookcoda, that really made my day ^^ I'll try to have more references in the next few chapters. Oh, and do any of you like Kingdom Hearts? I've had some roughs of those sitting around forever but won't do anything big until this is more complete. Tell me what you think about that please cuz I'm not sure how much type time I'll be getting for a while and don't want to not have new stuff on my page.**_

Taka flipped his mane to the side of his face and looked down his pointed nose at the tan lion. "I am the rightful king, my father was the king before my uncle and then I was promised the throne when he deceased. Besides, who did we really consider the king around here? Moja mostly slept if he wasn't tailing Kodi around and doing what he was told."

Neema growled deep in his chest, baring clenched fangs. "How dare you undermine my father at his funeral? My father was the leader of the pride that took over your weak pride before your uncle was graciously taken in by him. He was our leader all along, your uncle was just like you, delusional in thinking he had any power my father didn't grant him. He just led him to believe they were equal but he didn't do anything my father didn't permit."

Zira frowned. "Shouldn't we vote then on who will be the next king?" she asked hopefully, knowing more would vote for the russet furred son of Ahadi after the slaughtering done by Kodi and Moja the other night.

Neema shook his head with a dark chuckle. "Our way isn't a democracy! Only those fit to rule get the chance. And my dear Taka, while it looks like you were smart enough to get my father's and Kodi's trust, but where you got brains you were in the shallow end of the gene pool where it came to brute strength. Looks like golden boy Mufasa got more than the lion's share, too bad he doesn't have claim to the throne anymore."

Mufasa growled and unsheathed his claws. "Is that a challenge?"

Neema grinned. "Heavens no, but as soon as I'm king you'll be executed for plotting against my father's reign."

"Well, you're obviously looking for a fight Neema, and I'm not the same sickly lion I was before my father's death. I will regain order to my homelands and if that means bloodshed then I'm more than happy to coerce with you on the matter of claws and fangs." Taka snarled, unsheathing his claws and stepping from the circle of lions to the middle clearing, emerald eyes narrowed at the golden maned lion.

Neema stopped chuckling to himself and turned from Mufasa to the somewhat smaller brother. "Alright, I'll make a throw rug out of you when I'm done with your corpse, so that whenever you get dirty I can take you out and beat you all over again!" he smiled to himself as Nyota rolled her eyes and flashed her a wider smile. "And of course, there will be no change in the queenship." He purred with a wink.

"Wait, what, why?" Nyota stammered. "I was Kodi's mate, you should pick a mate of your own!"

"And I pick you. Taka may have some other lioness but you are the one I want." He said as he went to face Taka who was now glaring daggers at him.

"But I don't want to be your mate!" Nyota almost screamed. She was afraid of all the Outlanders, more so because of Kodi's treatment of her. She didn't want to go through another like him, there was no telling if Neema would warm up to her and treat her more kindly like Kodi had, she didn't know his past but it couldn't have been somewhat like what Kodi had once been happy with.

"You won't have much say in the matter, but that is a discussion for after I beat Taka senseless. Taka means dirt, doesn't it?" he asked randomly.

Taka gaped at him, not quite sure what it mattered what his name meant. "I don't know."

"It does, and how fitting because that is all that you have been and all you'll be when I'm through here." Neema smirked, thinking he was clever.

"Are you just going to stand there and yap all day or are we going to get this over with so I can take my rightful place on the throne?" Taka sneered in irritation, lowering down in a crouch to leap at his opponent.

Neema skirted to the side so that Taka was sprawled in the dust before biting down on his neck, hauling him around and into the trunk of a tree nearby, letting him slump to the ground in a daze.

"Taka!" Nyota screamed in worry, rushing forward to make sure he was alright only to be stopped by two snarling dark tan lionesses from the Outlands. "Taka, get up!"

Neema laughed maniacally as he strode up to the dizzy Taka who was just now raising his head to peer up at him, only supported on two paws. Neema brought his paw down at Taka's face and raked his claws across his face, slashing deep over his left eye. He brought it up to bring it down again as Taka roared in pain and pushed himself into the other's chest, knocking him to the ground.

Neema snarled and sunk his claws into Taka's shoulder, smiling as the sticky blood streamed down through the silky fur. "Why don't you go ahead and save yourself the trouble of fighting and just give up?"

Taka wasn't able to speak coherently from his impact with the thick tree trunk so was only able to answer by snapping at Neema's neck, getting a mouthful of his golden mane.

"Ha! You are truly pathetic." Neema shoved Taka off him and slammed his paws on his pale brown chest, preparing to rip with his teeth.

Nyota turned to Mufasa and Sarabi beside her. "We have to do something, he doesn't have to kill him!"

Mufasa worked his claws into the soft soil, tearing up blades of green grass in the process. "There is nothing we can do until the fight is declared over. If I could I would but they'd only kill me too. I'm not strong enough to take them all on."

"What about the native Pridelanders? They'd back us up, right?" Nyota tried.

Mufasa's frown deepened and he shook his head sorrowfully. "There still wouldn't be enough to be a sure win. I don't want to risk it."

"But Taka's going to die!" Nyota pointed out. She looked over at Winju and Kivuli who looked just as troubled but stayed put by Mufasa and Sarabi. "Maybe you guys won't do something, but I will."

Before any of them could stop her, she leapt past the lionesses who had been blocking her before as they stared hungrily at the execution and threw herself at the pair of fighting lions.

"Stop! Please, don't kill him, I'll do anything." She cried, trying to pull Neema off of Taka.

Neema turned his pale green gaze to her and smirked. "Really? What makes you think you won't after I kill him? You won't have much choice unless you take death with your friends."

"I'll willingly be your queen. Just don't kill any of them. Please, I'm begging you…" Nyota pleaded as she looked down at Taka who was shaking his head to clear it.

Neema looked between them and smiled. "Okay. I won't kill them."

He stepped off of Taka and turned to her. She backed away as Mufasa, Winju and Kivuli ran to check on Taka, helping him to a sitting position and offering support. Neema leapt up onto a rock and scanned the gathered lionesses.

"I am your new king, bow before me!" he roared with a mad smile.

Nyota felt tears fall down her cheeks as she lowered herself, extending one paw out to his perch with all the other lionesses. What had she done? She'd ruined everything. It was her plan that had killed the two kings and put them in this position. She should have waited for when there was a definite heir in Taka and Kodi's relationship, she could have asked him to and he would have agreed and then they would have addressed the whole pride with it and it wouldn't have led to this fight. Now she had jumped into another predicament that could very well be worse. But no, she wasn't alone anymore, she had Mufasa, Taka, Winju, Kivuli and Azure when he was healed plus a good number of lionesses.

As she rose she glared defiantly at Neema and stalked off away from the group. When she heard his paw steps following her she glanced over her shoulder to make sure it was him before taking off at a run. She was sore from the stampede scene but she wasn't in the mood for a younger more violent Kodi. She ran towards the quarry until she saw a slight fissure in the rock wall. Checking to make sure he hadn't caught up with her, she slipped inside and smiled as she found the little paradise that she had read about in one of those Lion King comics where young Simba follows a young Nala and Tama as they marvel at the beauty of the paradise's flowers.

She then remembered that Simba had been attacked by snakes and perked her ears. Nowhere appeared to be safe here in this world. Of course she wasn't used to living in the jungle just yet, she was a city gal. She took a few breaths to regain her composure and waited to hear Neema search for her before turning back to Pride Rock with a frustrated growl. She closed her eyes and for the first time being here as a lion she wished she had never come. It would have been better to have never tampered with the story of the Lion King and to have never known her new friends as long as she was safe and with her father again.

080

Taka clawed the rock as he lay beside Azure at the base of Pride Rock. He had been so close to becoming the next king, so close. He still wasn't strong enough though, was still too weak compared to the lion who had probably been raised fighting for his life out in the Outlands.

Sarafina padded over and lay beside him with a sympathetic look on her face. Taka rolled his eyes, "What is it Sarafina?"

Her blue-green eyes widened and she quickly looked down at her crossed forepaws. "Oh, I…uh, well… I'm sorry you weren't able to defeat Neema. You should have won and reclaimed the throne in memory of your father…" she replied sheepishly.

Taka rubbed his brow with a paw to ease his oncoming migraine. What was with her? She was always so sheepish and shy, nothing like Sarabi. They were sisters after all. Taka chuckled to himself. No, they were as close as sisters but not quite, they were cousins. She was the daughter of Maji's brother, right? He looked around the small area they were resting in but didn't see the tan lion that had supposedly joined them during the Gorge plot. He turned back to the now quite cream lioness beside him.

"Sarafina, didn't your father join us before the kings' deaths? I thought I heard Mufasa telling me that at some point."

She nodded. "Yes, he came across the border when the news of Ahadi's death reached his new pride."

"Where is he now?"

She turned to look at the back side of Pride Rock. "He said something about a cave at the back of Pride Rock that he, your mother and Maji found when they were young that became his cave before he left for the other pride."

Taka nodded and rose shakily to his paws. "I will go to him now then. Neema will only be looking for Nyota for so long before waiting for her to come back on her own. Then a search party would no doubt be put in order. We must plan with our allies now though, and I'm sure Habari is our strongest asset with his ties to his new pride. I wonder if they had any exiled that joined up with Ahadi and Moja."

Sarafina stood and tried to bar his path. "You shouldn't be up after your fight with Neema, he really did a number on you! Rafiki said you needed to rest for the rest of the day."

Taka scoffed and continued around her towards the back of Pride Rock. She was still the same Sarafina, always trying to look after others, always obeying the rules. He sighed as he remembered that first day she had been deposited in the Pridelands, they were only small cubs then.

"_Now, my sons, you must be nice with young Sarafina." Uru said with a gentle smile at the three young cubs at her feet._

_Mufasa smiled broadly and bounded up to the shy blue-green eyed cub excitedly. "Hey, I'm Mufasa, Sarafina is a really pretty name!"_

_Sarafina smiled bashfully and took a few more steps towards the small group. "Th-thanks, Mufasa is a nice name, too."_

_Mufasa nodded, accepting the comment with pride and looked over his shoulder at his brother who was making a curious yet doubtful face and Sarabi who was looking as shy as Sarafina was. He took it upon himself to introduce the rest of his gang. "That's my brother Taka, one of us is going to be king one day! The other is our friend Sarabi."_

_Sarafina nodded eagerly at Sarabi. "Daddy said she was my cousin and I would be staying with Aunt Maji for a while."_

_Taka chose this time to be social and trotted up to where his brother and the new cub were standing. "Why _are _you here anyway? Can't your own parents take care of you in their lands?"_

_Sarafina's new smile wilted slightly at this comment. "Well, Daddy said that I should get to know where he came from and there's the whole new king thing." She looked down at her paws and messed around with a tuft of grass._

_Taka shook his head trying to make sense of that and couldn't. "What new king thing? Why can't you see where your mother came from, that is your birth home after all and your dad left these lands, he has no rightful claim here anymore." He stated bluntly._

_Uru stepped up behind him and patted him softly on his head, startling him so that he spun around with a sloppy apologetic smile on his face._

"_Oh, hey Mom.." he mumbled._

"_My dear Taka, Mufasa, Sarafina's land was taken over by a young Rogue. That means that anyone who has royal blood in anyway even if they aren't the king's children but his sibling's or his mate's sibling's children, are to be prevented from living so that their claim on the throne is absolute. Sarafina's mother is the queen's twin sister according to Habari so we are going to take her in as if she is our own. Habari was a good friend of mine when I was younger so he and his own are always welcome here." Uru informed gently._

_Wide brown and emerald eyes gazed up from shocked faces at the queen._

_Taka turned back to Sarafina. "Hey, I'm sorry about what I was saying. It wasn't like I wanted you to leave or anything."_

_Sarafina nodded and smiled feebly. "Thanks, I hope we can be good friends like our parents were."_

Taka sighed. Apparently their parents had been an unrequited love couple, thing , or whatever. Not exactly the ideal friendship to have. Of course, Sarafina didn't know that. He looked back over his shoulder to see her still looking his way with a sad smile. Or maybe she had an idea. He shook his head, ruffling his mane out so that it settled away from his face and set his head in a regal position. He was going to get Habari's help to finish Neema off for good and take the throne for his father and his land, the throne would finally be his, he would finally be the Lion King.

_**Sorry it's so short, I was hoping to put more in there cuz it's been going through my head so much lately how the next chapters will go but I just haven't had my preferred computer time at all. Hopefully I'll be getting more in the next month or so and that this is still going strong then.**_

_**Thanks for all the readers, this is my most read and reviewed fic which was a surprise to me so thank you all so much and I hope you've enjoyed this so far! =)**_

_**Please review and don't be afraid to be a critic, thanks.**_


	17. Loyalties

**Chapter Seventeen: Loyalties**

_**Sorry it took me a while to get this down as my brain is running a few chapters ahead and I get a little impatient with my slow fingers. Not much going on but some hints in this chapter for latter revelations =3 Gonna try to write the next chapter soon though no promises.**_

Nyota wearily headed out from the secret hideaway and slowly padded back towards Pride Rock. She had made a promise for Taka's sake and had enough honor to still uphold it no matter who it was too, besides the fact that Neema might decide to kill Taka after all since she didn't hold up her end of the bargain. Her sad blue eyes stayed on the ground before her paws, the paths unnoticeable before now very evident to her feline eyes. She had gotten used to this world, this new life, and that pained her. She still considered herself an outsider here, though the Pridelanders had now adopted her as family and she acted on instinct instead of second guessing her new reactions to life here. She could hardly remember what it was like to drive her car or search the internet, let alone pick up anything without her pointed teeth or snap a photo with her camera, her life's passion since her childhood.

Her thoughts went out to Winju and Kivuli, who had been here longer than she had, and she wondered how they had coped with it if at all. Then there was Winju's death and resurrection, how did he deal with that?

Millions of similar thought paths and questions formed in her mind, whirling around in a chaotic hurricane that made her pause on her way home and lay down, her eyes screwed shut and her paw raised to her brow as an intense migraine erupted in her temple. She gasped for air and cried out in agony as she force her eyes open to see Pride Rock looming before her, black spots dotting her vision. She saw Winju, Mufasa and Sarabi come around a bend and see her, the trio only pausing long enough to register their friend's condition before running to meet her.

"Nyota! What happened?" Sarabi asked, her orange brown eyes wide with worry, Mufasa quickly joining his faster friend with a similar expression.

Winju instantly went to her side and offered her his shoulder which she took gratefully, helping herself onto his strong back and sighing as she went limp, releasing some strain on her body and mind.

"I just….migraine…have to go see Neema and ….uphold promise…" she managed, a determined blue fire lighting up her glassy eyes.

Winju grunted like he was about to protest but recognized the determination, something that he and Kivuli had seen in each other's eyes on more than one occasion, and knew that nothing anyone said would quench the fire except what it was lighted for. He nodded as he turned back towards Pride Rock and padded slowly up the rocky path to the main den where Neema was resting for the night.

Once they reached the den, Winju laid the panting Nyota on the rock slab in the middle of the den as Neema dismissed his mother who had returned from a brief hunting party. The tan and gold lion padded over with a stern frown that softened somewhat at the sight of the dark grey lioness.

"What happened?" he demanded in a soft tone.

Winju shrugged his broad shoulders. "Don't know, just know that when we found her she was in pain. She needs rest." He bowed his head slightly and left, Mufasa and Sarabi close behind him.

Nyota took a deep breath and held it, sighing with relief when the pain finally subsided. She didn't know what had brought it on but she was happy it had eased up. She opened her foggy eyes and blinked to clear her vision, visibly flinching when she spotted Neema sitting over her with concern on his face. She knew she had to face him but she hadn't expected Winju and the others to get to him so fast, she had hoped she'd have time to build up her courage. "Hi…" she finally said after a few minutes of tense silence.

Neema cocked his head, his golden bangs falling over one of his peridot green eyes. "Hi…what happened? Did a lioness do this to you?"

Nyota quickly shook her head, she didn't need him doing what Kodi had done for fear of getting the whole Outlander lionesses after her blood. "No, no one did anything to me. I was just tired from all the stress of the kings deaths and the stampede and then the fight for the throne…" she trailed off and looked down at the dens scarred floor, hoping the conversation would end there.

Neema nodded in understanding to her surprise and lay down beside her though not on top of her like Kodi had done. He seemed to know she needed space, then again he had lost one of his younger sisters in the name of justice and then his father in what he probably suspected as a plot against him and Kodi but couldn't prove. Nyota suddenly felt sorry for him despite her better judgment of what kind of a lion he was. He had lost family, one right in front of his eyes that he had accepted in loyalty to the pride and the other by a murder he couldn't do anything about. She was briefly reminded of crime shows and books of when someone has a family member killed but the cops couldn't find the perpetrator and that person was left with nothing but grief and uncertainty, never knowing who was truly responsible for the murder and constantly blaming themselves for lack of anyone else to play the scapegoat. She gently placed a paw on his nearest her, winning a puzzled look from him.

She took a deep breath and smiled a small smile, not able to manage a bigger one. "Neema, you couldn't have done anything for your father as I couldn't do anything for him or Kodi. They weren't the best rulers but I don't know what kind of a father Moja was to you and your sisters. I do know that some parents are different with their families and he could have been great to you. I'm sorry all this happened though, and I will be your mate as I said I would and that means I'm here for you and I will until death do we part." She laughed lightly and laid her head on her paws, not moving the one she had placed over his but cuddling up to it. Who knew? He might actually be a pretty nice guy.

Neema stared at the back of her head for a few moments and smiled as he laid his head across her neck and closed his eyes. He did know that the former kings were horrible to their followers, but a pride sticks together and so he would honor their memory and accomplishments in guiding the outcasts of their pride from the Outlands to the Pridelands. He was confused though, he knew what Nyota must have been going through with Kodi, but she was so gentle and loyal as he had seen her be towards her friends. He felt a slight warmth spread through his body that she had agreed to stick to her oath of being his mate, realizing that just because he was the son of a former king and the strongest lion in the Pridelands didn't mean he deserved her. But she had a sense of honor and pride and he would respect that.

080

Taka watched the tan lion across the cave as he pulled fresh red meat from the rib cage of his antelope he had caught moments before the russet lion had found the cave his mother had played in as a child. There was a faint trace of Nyota mixed into the stronger scents of Maji and her brother and Taka wondered if she had been here recently or not. His bright emerald eyes narrowed as Habari tore yet another mouthful and chewed slowly, he did not like being ignored. He cleared his throat loudly.

Habari finished chewing and swallowing his mouthful of antelope and turned to look over lazily at the younger lion. "Yes?" he asked in a bored tone.

"You know that I am not king, yes? I'm sure Maji or Mother informed you of the events after the funeral of the kings."

Habari nodded. "Yes, that Neema guy beat you, didn't he? What a shame." He went back to his meat.

Taka growled and walked over to stand on the other side of the bloody carcass. "Will you at least pretend to be concerned for your old home?"

"Of course I'm concerned. It's just I don't know if you'd make the better king or he will." He looked up with dark blue eyes and glared an unspoken challenge to the son of his childhood love.

Taka glared right back, his eyes alight with malice and barely contained fury. "I am Ahadi's son, the rightful heir, chosen by him in a dream! I will take back my homeland with or without your help but I would prefer as much brawny help as I can get if you don't mind."

Habari shrugged. "As far as I know, they don't even know I'm back yet besides you, Mufasa, Sarabi, your mother my sister and daughter. Why should I reveal myself without a sure chance of victory? I still have the element of surprise, but as soon as I pounce out of this cave for a fight that's done and if we fail I either die or am chased out and the guard would be doubled. It was hard enough getting in unnoticed the first time." He ripped another bite from his dinner and chewed it forcefully, his jaws tense with growing frustration.

Taka noticed the elder lion's mood but didn't care, he needed support. "Please, as Uru's son, help me."

Habari stood from the shredded body of the antelope and scowled at the younger lion. "I don't think so, and do you know why? Because I'd sooner help Mufasa or Uru take back the kingdom. When I look at you, I don't see your father though that would be an improvement, all I see is Kodi. I always have when I saw you as a cub when I left Sarafina here for her safety and I probably always will. So if I were you, I'd look for your help elsewhere."

Taka was shocked at the sudden outburst of the older lion's true feelings. He hadn't expected this, hadn't planned for it. He had planned out almost every possible way this conversation would go, from his naivety and youthful ignorance to how he was brash and even scrawny although he was a filled out as Mufasa now thanks to Nyota's training him months ago. But he had never expected to be compared so closely to his sadistic uncle for just his appearance alone. For once he didn't know what to say, he couldn't even get a grunt past his lips. Habari's face was pulled in a frown, making his squared jaw and broad brow even more intimidating as he glared at the younger lion.

"You know, the one thing I hated about your mother was how much she paid attention to you when you were a cub, when we would talk along the border she wouldn't stop going on about you and how proud she was of you. Of course, I just lumped it with her fancying Kodi as well as his brother, only choosing Ahadi because he would make a more honorable king. It was obvious how much you looked like him that anyone might have believed she had cheated on her husband since Mufasa favored her father's side of the family and not his own father. And honestly, the only thing I even like about her relationship with you is that she gave you a fitting name, Taka. You know what it means, don't you? It means dirt, and that is all you will ever be compared to Mufasa and if it comes down to my decision, he would be king." He jerked his head towards the cave entrance. "Now, if you don't mind, you can leave my cave."

Taka could only gawk at Habari's harsh words. From what his mother had said about her old friends when she was a cub he hadn't been this hateful and he could hardly believe it as he forced one shaky paw in front of the other out the cave, not caring where they led him as he tried to contain the tears of mingled fury at what he had said and the sorrow at the possible truth of them. Taka meant dirt? Why did his mother name him that? What did Mufasa mean? Why would their parents play favorites to that extent of damning one son and blessing the other with the meanings behind their names?

He found himself by the waterhole and decided his throat was dry and leaned down to lap up the cool water, not even noticing when two cream colored lionesses padded up beside him. When he looked up he saw that Sarafina was smiling at him with her blue green eyes shining. She must not know about her father's hatred of him.

"Hi Taka!" she said happily.

Taka winced, hearing instead, "HI Dirt!" and loathing it completely. "Hey Sarafina." He then noticed the smaller lioness beside her also smiling up at him. "Oh, hello Zira."

The petite lioness beamed back at him, her mood apparently lifting at the mere act of him acknowledging her.

"Hi! Where have you been? Sarafina said you were off doing something important." Zira chirped, ever joyful.

Taka rolled his eyes. "I was having my heart handed to me on a silver platter but that's unimportant."

Both lionesses instantly frowned in concern and Taka's mood somewhat lifted. At least they cared about him.

"I'm fine, really. What are you two doing out here?" he quickly changed the subject, not wanting to reopen his fresh wounds to his tender heart.

"Well," Sarafina said with a slow smile, "we came looking for you after you were gone for so long. We don't think Neema should be king and Zira agrees. Sarabi has talked with our lionesses and they will do anything to help, so that's twenty added to our number along with Mufasa, Sarabi, Winju, Uru, Maji and Kivuli and ourselves. And with Nyota and Azure that will make thirty-one to the Outlander's fifty…." She trailed off.

Zira quickly interjected. "But we know that we can get at least a few of them on our side… we might have a chance!"

Taka frowned, his eyes wide in renewed shock. They were _that _many? No wonder they took over without bloodshed, it would have been a hopeless battle that would be better prolonged.

"Even with Penda, Kodi and Moja's deaths they number that many?" he gasped.

Zira nodded sheepishly. "Around that number, yes, Dad took in anyone that could fight and made them tough like gristle. They can fight as well as a well fed lion after a month of nothing. We were taught to channel our hunger and hatred for being outcast from our homes into fuel for our mind and body to continue on even if we end up only a hollow shell afterwards bent on death." She frowned and lowered her head. "I wonder what I could turn out if I'm thrust out into that environment again…even with Dad gone he'll always been in my heart and mind fueling me to kill for survival…"

Taka and Sarafina sat together with the young lioness, quietly offering support for her father's negative influence on her during her short life and what she must be going through with his death right after her twin's. Sarafina gently nudged her and won a thankful smile from the red eyed lioness.

"Thanks Sarafina." She turned to Taka. "I'm going to use his training to help you Taka, even if I end up dying in the process, I will see you crowned as king." She said with such devotion that it touched Taka's heart.

He smiled and nodded, somewhat shocked at hearing two opposite opinions on his right to kingship in such a short amount of time. He turned to Sarafina who offered the same determined smile, her eyes fierce with determination.

"Then let's rally as many of the Outlanders as we possibly can, we can use Azure and Winju to gain support. No more going around in the shadows, we must meet them face to face and openly declare our intentions to show how we won't back down from Neema. We _will_ take back this kingdom, in the name of my father and all his fathers before him, by the blood running through my veins we _will_ restore the Pridelands to their glory!" Taka declared, roaring to the night sky, Sarafina and Zira joining in with fierce roars of their own as they declared their independence of Neema and where their loyalties lied.

_**Okay, really sorry for the wait, I had intended to upload this much sooner and though I had so seeing only 16 chapters up was a big surprise. Anyway, this was kinda rushed mostly and I know it's short but it was supposed to be something to tide the wait . and now I can't figure out how to add on to it right now so I'm gonna start on the next chapter and get it up asap. Thanks to y'all still reading ^^**_

_**Please review!**_


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